Meetings
by Nerdene Hyrde
Summary: Meeting and building the crew of the Nerdene Hyrde. A stowaway is found
1. Chapter 1

Hello, all. New chapter of a new story, yay! Xobit played herself, while Longshot was writen by Oriet  


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Standing in the door to the training room, Xobit observed the femme seeker for a while. It was not hand to hand combat she was training in, but rather a series of fast, agile moves to keep herself out of reach of an enemy. She was good at it! If she was everything that was written in her bio, she would bring many needed skills to the Nerdene Hyrde's crew… all Xobit needed was to persuade her into joining. "Hello Longshot… may I have a breem or two of your time?" Xobit was careful to time her question to a pause in the seekers exercises.

Longshot looked over to see who was interrupting her training. It was someone she didn't know, a darkly colored femme around her own height. Landing and walking over to the femme, she replied, "Certainly. What can I do for you?" Something about this femme was digging at the back of her mind, as though she ought to recognize her. '_This better not take too long_,' she thought, '_I'm still waiting to meet the Nerdene Hyrde's Prime, and I don't know when he'll get here._'

"I would like to know what wishes you have for future assignments?" Unconsciously, Xobit reached up and rubbed a digit over the spot on her armor where an infrared scan would show her now outdated rank of 2IC. She had avoided getting the rank insignia of Prime for eight joors, it would not last much longer…

Seeing the femme rub where her rank was, Longshot quickly looked over on IR, feeling embarrassed to have overlooked that. Seeing that it was the second to a Prime, she saluted. "Sir," she said, recognizing the femme's rank. '_I though the Prime was going to come meet me personally, not send his second_.' "I'm hoping for a post where my skills will come in useful. I prefer for there to be a good amount of camaraderie, as long as it doesn't hinder or compromise professionalism."

Waving a hand in casual dismissal, Xobit spoke, still a little distracted by the thoughts of her new rank insignias. "No need for rank yet, right now I am just feeling you out. It is important that you fit in to the crew… we are going a bit in the extreme with this after all!" A quick smile flashed over her faceplate before she continued. "An all femme crew is not possible, but we are close! Do you feel comfortable with working directly under a Prime?"

"I would be honored if one thought me fit for such a position," Longshot replied. '_No need for rank yet? What kind of hard aft Prime is it I might end up working under? Is he using his second to lower my guard, in hopes he can get some angle to blackmail me with? Wait, an almost all femme crew? What kind of pervert is this Prime? Oh no, he's trying to profile me so he can seduce me and use that to blackmail me into illegal action!_' Longshot was starting to panic, but was doing her best to remain looking calm.

Looking sharply at the flier, Xobit wondered at the bland answer, it could mean just about anything and wasn't really encouraging. She needed another flier in the crew, and Longshot was the only available one with the needed mix of skills… unless she chose another mech. "I can't really use honor as a basis for choosing you… is it serving under femme superiors you have a problem with? Aren't exactly conventional, I know…"

"I would have no problems working under a femme," Longshot replied. '_But wasn't I just asked about working directly under a Prime?_' Her thoughts ran through the previous scenario, only this time replacing the mech with a femme, which lead to an even more ridiculous 'ending.' '_No, that wouldn't make sense, get a hold of yourself._ _A femme Prime is more likely too...._' Thoughts of pink halls, pink consoles, curlicue designs all over the place, bubbly optimism everywhere, and more, filled Longshot's head, making one of her optics momentarily flicker. '_Working in such an environment would be _torture,' she thought. '_Slag! Too late to rescind what I said! I'll just have to make the best of things then._' "I just have one odd request."

Freezing in her tracks, Xobit replayed the flier's actions in her head, was she… flirting? That was a first then, none of the other candidates had done that. She didn't particularly like it… not that the femme was unattractive, but this was not the situation to, yeah. "An… odd request?"

"Could the different sections of the ship be painted in a different base color? I know that's not standard procedure." '_No way can I directly say "Don't make it pink!" I'd get refused for the assignment then, and who _knows_ when I'd get one then._'

Staring at the other femme, Xobit was completely blank for several clicks before she rounded on her. "Room color? Why would I have anything to do with that… I run a ship, not the personal lives of my crew!"

'_I get to choose the color for my own room? Hmm, maybe this _is_ just a relaxed crew._' "Well, I was meaning more the command center, med bay, rec facilities, and such. I was thinking that different colors might help people keep in mind what section they're in, and so help them focus on their duty, or help them relax when off." '_Wait, _she_ runs the ship? What kind of unorthodox command structure is this Prime using?_

Staring blankly was getting rather old! "Oh...! Well, that is actually a really good idea. I will have to see what Loki and Wishmaster have to say, but that might not be a bad thing at all. Of course we'll have a pit of a time deciding what color goes where…" Musing out loud, Xobit was focusing intently on a standard orange wall… "orange tends to get boring anyways… so yeah, I think we could work on that thought!"

'_Oh, thank Primus! At least there won't be an over abundance of pink. I...guess I could get used to committee action for decision making. It'd sure beat the draconian despotism my last assignment had._' "It sounds like I will greatly enjoy working under your Prime then. Might I ask where your theater of operations is going to be?"

"Working under my Prime? I am sorry, I thought that Loki had informed you who you would be meeting today?" What in the pit was going on here? Who did the seeker femme think she was talking to… did she really want that question answered? "I think you have misunderstood a couple of things...! or I have…"

"Yes I was informed... but your rank is..." Longshot quivered. Snapping a salute, she said, "S-sir! I deeply apologize! I-I meant no disrespect! It was a lack of observation on my part!" Her venting had gotten shorter and quicker, and her trembling was showing despite her efforts to remain still at attention. '_Well, I just slagged my chance at what seemed like a good assignment. I'll be lucky if I only get knocked down a couple ranks._'

"Maybe I should just clarify some things, and you would you please stop apologizing, the 'sir' can go as well, you are not yet a part of my crew." Again waving the formal address off Xobit wondered if this was a simple misunderstanding or Loki's way of giving her an 'interesting day. "I am Xobit Prime, leader of the Nerdene Hyrde's crew. I am assembling a mostly femme crew and would like you to join it, provided that you fit in with the others!"

'_Stop using sir, to a superior officer? Am I being kicked out of the forces!? Guess I really blew it... wait, what? Yet?'_ Longshot stood 'at ease,' using her training to relax her venting. "Yes s-" Longshot caught herself before she got any further on 'sir,' "yes." It would hardly do to slip up right after being corrected. '_She really does seem to be annoyed with constant military procedure. It would be nice to have a little... breathing room.'_ "I didn't have much, or really any, time for socializing on my last assignment, so I fear I might be a bit of a wall engraving, at least at first." She shifted to a more relaxed, natural position, letting one arm drape at her side with the other grasping it from in front, and putting most of her weight on one foot. Looking down towards the ground, Longshot shifted her optics back up to Xobit. "I hope that won't really be a problem."

"That is not a problem, no, we have quiet ones on board already, one of my recon specialists lives in the venting system, if you can believe that!" smiling quirkily at the flustered, if finally relaxing, femme, Xobit shook her head lightly. "No, actually every one of my crew has, at one point in their career, been described by the words 'glitch head' or 'malfunction'. What I am interested in is whether or not you can function in such an environment… I am prepared to give you a trial period of two orns, after that we are going on yet another scouting and cleaning mission and likely won't be back for a vorn or more." Waiting expectantly, she studied the femme again. Wall engraving or not, she was a very beautiful flier, at another time Xobit would have sighed and dreamed about her... now that time was long past, the flier would be a valuable member of her crew… and personal feelings and desires would once again have to wait. 'Ah, Glyph you would have hit me for that thought' dermaplates curled in a faint sad smile…

"A little bit of eccentricity is just fine, as long as they work well together." _'Eccentricity is the sign of the best and the worst crews, and sometimes they're one and the same. But I can't say that, and she is nice enough, in mannerisms _and_ body.'_ "I don't think I'll have any problems working under you," Longshot said, slightly tipping her head to the side, "but I can't be certain until we try it." _'Did I just say it in that way...? I mean, yes she's attractive, but she's gonna be my superior, and even if they're a relaxed crew I don't think they'd be _that_ relaxed!'_

"The crew works… finding new members, not so much. I value my strange little family though…" Thoughtfully watching the flier, she realized that this one stated truth, but thought more then she vocalized, intriguing. It was a quality that reminded her of Excavator more than Glyph… but then again, Xobit still saw them in almost everyone… "Well, that is all I can ask for, if you are agreeable you can be transferred before next shift? And I would like you to discuss the idea of color coding with Loki, Wishmaster and I as soon as possible, preferably after your next recharge cycle, if that is convenient?"

"Absolutely," Longshot said, starting to straighten to attention, "shouldn't take much longer than a joor." She stopped herself from completing attention and saluting, instead running her hand on her neck before offering it for a shake, hoping she wasn't then being _too_ casual. "I look forward to a long relationship with you."

Interesting word choice, intriguing … Repeating her earlier observation, Xobit shook the offered hand and smiled openly. "Welcome to my crew then! I might as well tell you a few things before I go and make it official though." Smiling reassuringly she gestured for them to start walking again. "If you do need to address me by title, I prefer 'Prime' or 'Sir', but again, in any situation where it is possible, drop the honorifics! My CMO, Wishmaster, is gruff, and heavy handed with the wrenches, but the best there is. My 2IC is a very large dinobot femme… hum, that is the basic introduction, the rest well, they do introduce themselves quite well."

Following alongside Longshot commented, "I've never met a dinobot before." _'It's going to be somewhat challenging to not throw honorifics around like they're half of the Cybertronian lexicon. _"And as long as it doesn't feel like you're being torn apart more than put back together, Wishmaster will likely be more gentle than the last CMO I had to see."

"Well… they are not much different from everyone else, no matter what you have heard, Longshot. Mostly they have very thick accents or clip sentences at odd places, people often make the mistake of thinking them dumb because of that and there off stems their reputation for violence… they don't like to be called stupid or other derogatory names." Gesticulating with one hand, Xobit grasped the flier's arm with the other, directing her to turn towards the base commander's office and letting go the moment she followed. "And no, Wish' may yell a lot and throw tools around, but he does remember to keep your pain receptors offline or to sedate you… We need to talk to Lightvoid, I need you on ship fast, don't worry, I'll just poke my head in and tell him I need you, then you can go pack."

_'She actually touched me... gently... to lead me? Wait, now she's let go, and yet...'_ Longshot slowly let her arm rest at her side again as she followed, still mystified by Xobit's action, yet feeling somewhat disappointed that the touch didn't last longer. "Alright..." she stopped herself before saying 'prime.' "And I can fully understand why they wouldn't appreciate such. No one likes an insult, especially when it's far from true. Also, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, once the transfer is complete, do you think Wish'... could run a full systems and maintenance check on me before I'm active on the duty roster?"

Stopping abruptly Xobit turned on the femme, managing to not look horrified as she looked her chassis over for visible damage. "When was your last check? And why the frag hasn't your commander made sure you had one… Wish' will take his head off!" How in Primus' name had the flier been able to move that fluidly if she had not had proper maintenance... it was a problem that would be addressed the moment she stepped on the ship! "I won't have much say in the matter, Wish' will likely drag you off the moment he gets wind of your transfer."

"My last check was... several vorns ago. And I wasn't kidding about feeling like you're being turned into scrap more in the medbay than the battlefield. As for my... last, commander," oh, it felt so good being able to have that qualifier in, "he left it to our own discretion, but excessive use would be penalized. Quite frankly I'm not sure if he had executive punishments in mind, or if he just meant the quality of service, but questions were not something he looked kindly on."_ 'I'm..._ babbling_ to her, and she's not minding or giving any indication of annoyance or displeasure over it... at least none directed at me. Hmm, maybe I need a deeper systems diagnostic than I thought, as surely my sensors are failing to pick it up.'_

"What the frag? 'Excessive' use my aft!" Grasping the femme's arm once again, she set of at a faster pace than before. "I am going to get you on board my ship this joor or someone's cranial unit will be separated from their sparks!" Growling with a mix of worry and agitation, Xobit hauled the hapless femme though the base and into Lightvoid's office, completely ignoring the secretary mech that half rose to stop her. "Xobit Prime. I am effecting an immediate transfer of the flier designated Longshot to my ship. Make sure her belongings are transferred within the next half joor!" Turning she stomped out, still dragging the femme.

Longshot stumbled as her new Prime was suddenly pulling her along behind. She debated kicking in her thrusters to just glide along, but she wasn't quite falling over in trying to keep up, and flying in halls was generally looked down on. Her thoughts were being a bit jumbled and overlapping for even her to follow; about all she was able to really pick out was something about "protectiveness," "belonging," and "property." Longshot was so busy trying to keep up that she didn't realize quite where they were headed until they were passing Lightvoid's secretary as though he wasn't there. She attempted to salute, having to use the wrong hand for it as Xobit was still holding onto her wrist. Xobit also seemed to be ignoring proper formalities even here, although Lightvoid was lower rank. Before Longshot was anywhere near prepared, she was being dragged out of the room again, spinning and being closer to falling than she was in the hall. She was so stunned that her mouth just hung slightly agape, unable to even voice her confusion.

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	2. Chapter 2

And this is Shadow's joining the crew... Xobit played herself, and Kd Zeal played Shadow, and Steelspark. -this- is comm, should be clear enough. We don't own Transformers.  


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Xobit was getting a processor ache worthy of Unicron the destroyer. She could appreciate getting new crew since so many had been lost, too many, but interviewing the ones sent her way or the ones actively seeking to join was less than fun! As Prime she had certain privileges, like choosing her own officers, and there had been plenty wanting the job of CSO. Only one had so far struck her as useful, but she had been lying about some things… things that were in her file, and that was unacceptable. And now there was this one… Shadowsinger, he had a disciplinary record, but otherwise seemed promising. Well nothing to do but throw oneself into it! -Loki, send in the next one… Shadowsinger, I believe his name to be.- Xobit received an affirmative and the door opened, letting in a mech… a tiny mech. A tiny ivory and purple mech…

Dinobots, even slagging huge ones, he could handle. Primes were another matter, Shadowsinger didn't even try to deny he was nervous about this meeting. In typical manner, he had been told to go somewhere, and now been told he was going to talk to a Prime, and he still didn't know for sure what was going on. So far all he knew was that he was the smallest mech here... but even that was typical. Optics flickered a little as he looked at the Prime, a femme, the same purple as his trim. That was unusual, Autobots didn't commonly use purple any longer, and to see a Prime completely covered in it... well, that wasn't something he expected. "You wished to see me, sir?"

Wished to see him? Well, he was not bad looking, but she could not truthfully say that she, at this point, actually wanted to see another potential CSO for at least half a vorn. "Actually, you were sent to me, Shadowsinger, to be considered for the position of Security Officer onboard my ship… now, I make it a point to interview and pick my officers myself. I also prefer that you address me either as 'Prime' or 'Xobit' and forgo the sir!"

Okay, that HAD to be a record for 'fastest invocation of rule forty-two in any given situation'. "I was?" Oh, lovely... but sweet Primus, Steelspark could have given him a little warning... or, well, no, he wouldn't have found that any fun. "I mean... I was just told to come here, and then to talk to you... My base commander... well, I suppose I shouldn't really say, si- ah, Prime." Great, and now he was going to be sent back and... well, if he got sent back, he'd have a higher chance to find Havok again. Even the fact that he was, in a roundabout way, being offered a promotion didn't make Shadowsinger happy about being parted from his Noctus...

Groaning and dragging a hand over her face, Xobit decided that protocol could go interface with a petrolrabbit! "I really don't have time for any dancing about the subject, Shadowsinger. I am sorry if this makes me seem hard or unfeeling to you, but you are the thirty-sixth mech I have spoken with today and I am frankly tired of interviewing people! Anything you tell me will stay in this room, lying will get you nowhere at all, and you will be judged on how you deal with me, not on what is in your records!" Sitting back she waited for a reaction from the mech, already feeling faintly guilty over exploding like that.

Shadowsinger simply looked at Xobit for a moment, slotting away information. "I don't blame ye in the least, m'lady. My base commander has rather an unfair sense of humor, is probably laughing his aft off, and I'll not venture a guess as to what he expects t'come of this. I told thee the truth, I was given no more information beyond that I was to report here. Now, should I leave and let you start with the thirty-seventh, or d'ya wanna talk a little more? I ain't gonna go spillin' yer secrets neither," Shadowsinger spoke with a light smile, shifting through more accents than he quite realized he had. This Prime was pretty interesting, willing to let the facade of 'great leader' drop... well, if he had to be alone again, this wouldn't be a half-bad place to be...

Well well, this was more like it! "Aside from contemplating throttling your base commander I really don't give a frag as to his ideas about this interview. I have two concerns only! One, can you do the job and two, will you fit with my crew… and I will tell you now that my crew is leaning to the eccentric side… very heavily. Now, tell me what you think, about both!" Indicating a chair, she leaned forward expectantly. This interview was already going better then the majority of the others this day had had to offer…

Hopping into the chair, Shadowsinger knew he presented rather an amusing picture, and found he was unsurprised when the Prime didn't laugh. "As to your crew, I don't really know, seeing as I haven't met them... or, well, I did meet the dinobot, she seems friendly enough." Big, HUGE, scary... but friendly. And really, he had met scarier... "I already know I don't fit very well with more... traditional crews, so I'd think it more likely I'd fit with an... eccentric one, no?" Do the job... security officer, keep the ship safe... well, he knew how Decepticons thought, he knew quite WELL how they thought... and, unlike many others, he actually remembered that smaller mechs existed, and had to be guarded against. "As for the job... I've never tried. I could probably do it well enough, definitely better than some I know..." He shrugged, unwilling to offer a promise without further information.

Honest, very honest… hum, this mech was interesting, but better to further test his honesty and tolerance level. "Be that as it may, your file indicates that you have the skills needed to do the job even if you are untried at it. The dinobot is Loki, my second in command, and most of the crew save the medic, our sniper and one of the recon specialists are femmes… We are a specialized strike force, as well as explorers, most of us have dual training. I am tactician, melee warrior, and clerk, in addition to being Prime." Watching him closely, Xobit found that he had an amazing control, nothing of his reactions slipping onto his faceplates.

Well, that was... flattering. And probably one of the few times he'd been judged on recorded skills and not his size... Dinobot Loki, second-in-command... unexpected, definitely fit 'eccentric'. Primarily femme crew, that was rather pointless information... no, femmes had their own reputation, in the same way small mechs did... Shadowsinger nodded as Xobit fell silent, took a moment to organize his thoughts and to decide what information to tell her. "Thanks for your confidence in my skills." He really was glad to know his file was used for more than getting him into trouble. Most of the information she had given him did not seem to warrant a reply, even though she probably expected one. "I'm sure you already know I often frontline. I'm good at keeping secrets and listenin' t'people, dabble in amateur psychology..." Shadowsinger shrugged again, not sure what more to say.

There was something about the way he said 'good at keeping secrets' that piqued Xobit's interest, but not in a bad way. He had nothing in his records that denoted a volatile nature, even the few reported incidents had reasons… not always good ones, but even if he was a bit of a hot processor that would be no problem. In this particular crew, he was more likely to find himself a place on someone's recharge berth than in a fist fight. His lack of reaction was commendable for this particular job, he had to be able to keep everything hidden... Her main concern was still compatibility, but then, they were not leaving for at least five orns… "Frontliner, yes, it is in your records, they indicate that you are an expert melee fighter… I would not oppose you studying psychology more closely, nor any other profession that you find useful. Originally this ship was a fighter turned science vessel, and this reflects in the crew. Tell me Shadowsinger, do you WANT the job or not?" Abruptly shifting from confirming and informing to questioning, putting it into a rather provoking wording on purpose... If he were too hot processored he would just plain say yes, whether or not he felt that he wanted the job… Xobit wanted him to keep his cool and give her a true for and against answer!

Did he want the job... He didn't KNOW. He didn't know, currently, where Havok was, the unit commander was doing his level best to keep them apart, and succeeding quite admirably. If he got this position, he'd get a promotion and, more importantly, a crew that he stood a decent chance of actually getting along with somewhat. If he didn't, he'd probably stay where he was, ordered back and forth... "I don't know. Good and bad both ways." The thought suddenly occurred to Shadowsinger that a ship... they might find where the Allspark had been sent. Which meant... "I think I'd like it better here than back on base," he added with a grin, it would at least get him out from under Steelspark. And Noctus would find him sooner or later, he had promised.

Raising an optic ridge, Xobit mulled over that answer, leaning back in her chair and steadily watching the cream and purple mech. He was honest about everything, which was a distinct improvement over most of the other candidates. He already exhibited much the same eccentricity that her crew was known for, and he easily took to the more lax formality she preferred. "Follow me then." Raising and walking out the door, she nodded to Loki and led the way to the office and quarters which had belong to Crestline, the former CSO. "This is what you would have to work with, most important to know that two of the ship's occupants basically live in the air cooling system." Pointing up at a grill in the ceiling, she grinned a little, waiting to hear his verdict on that.

That brought up some very interesting memories of Ravage and Laserbeak watching him from the vents in Senator Ratbat's house... "Just like home..." Shadowsinger answered sardonically, looking up. He'd never actually had a chance to use the counter-measures he'd figured out, mostly because by the time he'd figured them out, he hadn't seen the cassettes in at least a vorn. "So, they can keep a watch for other intruders. Sound distorters if you don't want them listening in...?" He wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to be answering, but made a mental note to get a desk slightly more to his size if he managed to stay here.

"In that case, you had an interesting home... and surprisingly, they both respect privacy. It is in fact privacy that makes them live in there, as far as I know. Both are small and, hum, we don't have anyone truly middle sized on board, only huge and not so huge… they feel a little exposed among the rest of us!" Motioning for him to follow, Xobit keyed open the door from office to private quarters. "Crestline was a flier, you can modify both rooms to your liking… just no pink paint."

"Very interestin' home," Shadowsinger agreed, deadpan. "I can see their reasons for takin' to th'vents..." He noticed Xobit spoke now like he already HAD the position, but he decided not to bring that to her attention. "...Pink paint? Primus, no!" Lights, he'd cut those down a bit, and likely change the walls away from Autobot-yellow, it was a fine color, but rather... boring. At least if it was everywhere... Which it wasn't on this ship, he belatedly realized with a soft start.

Laughing, delighted by the vehement response to the paint comment, Xobit finally decided that he could have the post, at least for the trial period. How much longer would depend on his interactions with the crew. "The common areas are color coded, all an idea from Longshot, our gunner… and I admit another go at the high command for their, ahh... less than flexible ways. When can you be transferred? The trial period is three orns and, as I hinted at before, permanent promotion will depend on how you and the crew take to each other."

Xobit had a nice laugh, Shadowsinger decided absently. Color coded common areas, now that was an excellent idea, probably explained the stripes... "That must make things ever so much easier on new people... And as far as I know, I can be transferred right away. Like I said, I'm not even sure I was expected back... or..." he shook his head with a shrug. "Unfair sense of humor. He doesn't mean to make things hard on YOU, just me." Feeling several different emotions right now, Shadowsinger choose to let the embarrassment and happy hopefulness out. It would be VERY nice to get away from his old base commander, all he had to do now was get along with the Prime's crew...

"Well, those who stay seems to like it, the ones that don't are usually those who don't fit in, so yeah…" Shrugging a bit, Xobit looked around the room critically. There wasn't much in it now, not after Crestline's personal belongings had been moved into storage… she had no family, so it was put into the 'vault'. Maybe Shadowsinger or one of the other new soldiers would find some of it useful. "Sounds good! And I really don't care, he'll know not to pull a stunt like that again after I have a friendly lil' talk with 'im!" Her anger at this unknown base commander had Xobit slipping into the clipped accent that she normally used but tended to repress when dealing with outsiders.

"Please, don't! I mean..." Shadowsinger rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed about his slip. "I mean... I'd love it if you spoke to him, really, but... at least not until we're sure where I'm going? Um... yeah." She was smart, she'd figure out his problem... and probably get even angrier, too. That wasn't what he'd meant to do... "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to pull sympathy... ...y'know, I'm just gonna shut up, I'm not helping things anymore..." This pretty purple femme had him badly off-balance, but then again, rule forty-two rarely came around to bite QUITE so hard...

"Ya think I'm stupid? Don' answer that, Shadowsinger." Waving off the half-stuttering mech with an amused smirk, Xobit went on to say, "I know I woul' do ya no favor' by reprimandin' him, but I can' let him get away with this either… is simply not done!" Folding her arms and tapping a digit against her lower dermaplates, she narrowed her optics glaring at the wall. "Ya see, we are relatively new to all this… is not widely known! Some of the mech commander' forget that femme' can be nasty when pissed off. An I'm very pissed off… while I am thankful that ya seem ta be what I hav' been looking fer, it doesn' excuse 'is behavior one bit!"

She was... protective. Highly protective, even when they weren't certain he'd be staying. She didn't judge his size, or care that he was odd... Shadowsinger discovered that he very badly did want to stay here, already feeling a sense of acceptance that he'd only gotten from a handful of mechs before. He wondered if it was a Prime thing, or if this particular Prime was just special that way... "Thank you. It... ah, might not be my place, but... y'think I could know what y'do t'im?"

Glancing down in surprise, Xobit then threw her head back and practically roared with laughter for almost a quarter of a breem. "Primus Shadowsinger, if ya want' ya can be there fer it. I am gonna give 'im a dressing down 'e isn't likely ta ever ferget!" Her jaw joint got tense as she focused back on the errant base commander. The slagger was wasting valuable time pulling stunts like this, and that made her less than happy. This was a war, not a happy go lucky holo training game, and a commander had to know and, more importantly, understand the difference!

Yep, definitely a nice laugh. Shadowsinger found himself grinning at Xobit, an honest to Primus grin with none of his usual melancholy tainting it. "I... would rather enjoy being there... Just afraid t'seem a little... vindictive." New crew, new lines, time to learn them if he wanted to stay... "Ah... so, is there anything... else we need t'do...?"

"Vindictive my aft! I really don' need ta explain anything ta 'im, but I think that the lecture might just be more effectiv' if ya are there… hum, quite likely it will…" Mulling it over, she then dismissed that subject for the time being, "Well… there's nothin' we have ta do, but I might as well show ya the common areas and the labs." Rising an optic ridged questioningly, Xobit waited for a response.

"Sure, long as y'don't mind, I could stand to know where more things are... Or I could poke around on my own, if ye'd rather." He liked Xobit, he decided, but Shadowsinger couldn't quite get past the feeling that he was wasting the Prime's time. Well, let the leaders decide how they spend their time, that was one thing he knew how to do.

"Actually, if I don't get out of the office fer at least a quarter of a joor now my CMO will likely chase me outta there soon. He is… insistent that I remember to do things that ain't work!" gesturing to the smaller mech to follow her, Xobit set off for the rec room. They might as well refuel, Wishmaster was likely to chase her down for that exercise soon anyway. "The rec room first, and then the exercise area, I insist that all my crew train daily and that they learn a form of close combat that suits them… whether it is actual fighting or how best to run. I will not lose people out of stupidity! Mine, or theirs, if I can help it…"

That managed to get a chuckle out of Shadowsinger, for some reason he imagined the unknown CMO chasing Xobit around with a wrench. One of the Primes had a CMO who did that, right...? At the same time, he made a mental note that this was a medic to obey. "Rec room, right... Daily training? Thank Primus, since I've been away from Havok I fear I've become rather out of practice. Y'can watch or test me or whatever, if y'want'." He shrugged a little, his usual one-shouldered shrug.

Walking slowly in deference to Shadowsinger's size, out of habit rather than special attention, Xobit gestured at the walls. "The thin strips of color denotes where the corridor leads, always look to ya right for direction. The color of the rec room is light slate, we have kept the corridors a neutral white in an effort to keep clashing colors to a minimum, and the bridge is the official orange." Shrugging this off, she barreled on, confident that her companion would interrupt her if needed. "You have high marks in hand to hand combat, and are a frontliner. I don't need to verify that you are capable, but feel free to use the training area whenever the need and or the mood strikes."

It was nice, he could already tell it would be ever so much easier to navigate around in this ship, and additional colors would help limit claustrophobia since there wouldn't be that unrelenting SAMENESS of most bases. And it reminded him of pre-war days, when things could afford to look good, not just be useful. "I know I've already said this... but thank you for not just seeing my size."

"That is as it should be… size has no meaning, only skills and the will to use them. Ya might as well get used to the rules my crew follow, somewhat at least. I don't judge anyone… I don't tolerate lies unless there is a very good reason. I take actions as proof when words fail, I am stubborn and obsessive with details… and my quarters look like they were raided and never cleaned afterwards… they are, by the way, I just have a unique way of organizing them!" grinning, she cast a glance down at the small warrior, wanting to see his reaction to her humor.

Size has no meaning... damage inflicted is not equivalent to size... variants on a theme by two people, on two sides... Now was NOT the time to fall into memories, slag it, the Prime was talking, important information, it was always important when he wasn't listening... Actions as proof, stubborn, obsessive... unique organization... "I'm sorry," never apologize, "I think things... are catching up to me... Kinda... had a lot of shocks in the last joor..." Slaggit, he was off again... apparently he didn't know how to deal with people who actually didn't judge him.

Slowing down a little, a look of concern fleetingly passed over Xobit's faceplate before it was schooled back into a pleasant expression, a façade. "I am gonna rip that fragger into spare parts verbally! And ya are gonna come sit whit me and have some energon, apparently we could both need a break…"

He caught the concern, but couldn't quite bring himself to care. "No, no, it's not his..." and Shadowsinger had to stop, because this WAS Steelspark's fault, he wouldn't lie. "Energon. Break. Yeah. Yeah, that'll be good." Stay together, think about watching the Prime scold the commander... that would be entertaining, and maybe by then he'd have adjusted...

The word poor did not fit with this mech, but Xobit did feel that he had been very unfairly treated, and had either been disinclined, or simply unable, to do anything about it… probably the last, from his file and the impression he gave, Shadowsinger was not one to 'not act'. "In here, then…"

Shadowsinger had to let Xobit help him to a chair, just a hand on his shoulder, she was, like everyone, taller than he was, but it was enough to guide him and he didn't have to think for a while. The cool slate color gave him something comforting to look at, he'd always been more fond of the cool colors... Now if only it were a little dimmer, but the blue gave the impression of absorbing light, it didn't feel as bright. The Prime was back with energon and he hadn't even noticed her leave. "Thanks," he mumbled, reaching for a cube.

Giving the mech a cube, she sat down herself with a slight huff from her vents. Apparently he needed time to adjust, which was fine actually, he had given her no few things to mull over, whether or not she wanted too. Of course she had known that not all Autobots where perfect beings, no one was, no matter that they were allegedly on the side of good… but then good and evil were not concepts easily quantified, were they? Xobit had been an Autobot all her life, she was not about to change that, she had seen too much of the universe, seen too many things that were as worthy of preservation as Cybertron itself. In her world there was no 'at the cost of everything else', there had to be a better way… there was a better way! It was just a matter of finding it. If only Glyph and Escavator had not died… if only…

"The ship is, sadly, not sentient, it was a warship build in for defense against Quentessa's invasion and then used in the subsequent civil war, reconfigured into a research vessel, and now again serving in battle. She can carry up to one hundred crewmembers, but can be flown by twenty…" Idly listing a few facts to get her mind off of her lost friends, Xobit starred unseeing at the purple energy… optics seeing only the past.

"I'm not quite sure I could handle a sentient ship right now..." Shadowsinger answered tonelessly, sipping a little from the cube. It was something to do, gave him an excuse to stay quiet... Xobit was seeming deep in thought, if he stayed on the crew he'd have to see about getting her to talk... "Actually, I've not really been off-planet... Not anything like exploration." Something about the way she spoke about how few could fly the ship... well, the war was everywhere, or at least it seemed that way, and exploration wasn't safe.

* * *

Returning to Cybertron always made her moody. Poking desolately at one of the piles decorating her quarters floor, Xobit huffed air out through her vents… things were getting worse, not just for the Autobots, the Decepticons were suffering too. Xobit was unable to look at this conflict in black and white, evil versus good… and Glyph's favorite saying haunted her 'the answer is found when all are one'. Picking up the datapad on the top of the pile she flipped through the notes her friend had left her with, once again stopping at the all too frequent sentence… 'To find the voice seek out, then in. The heart will speak when the soul still sleeps.'

"What the frag does it mean Glyph… and what did you mean, 'it's not here, it's on Cybertron.' That makes even less sense then this!" Carefully placing the datapad back on the seemingly haphazard pile, Xobit stood and made her way to the door, still depressed by her inability to correlate the data left for her. She had work to do… too much work and not enough time to do all that she wanted, needed to do. Walking into her office, ironically absolutely clean and almost sterile looking compared to her personal quarters, she quickly accessed the terminal, checking the logs for the night cycles happenings. Nothing had apparently happened...

Still not used to the whole casually dropping in to talk to a Prime part of the job, Shadowsinger none the less did just that. He was, after all, reporting to her... And he rather enjoyed talking to her, once he'd found his balance about the whole situation. He did enjoy it here, he'd found, even if he still mixed some names from time to time... And he finally got to train without anyone laughing about his size or weird mish-mash fighting style. It wasn't that no-body else had seen him, either, they just... didn't care.

Looking up when the office door opened, Xobit smiled tiredly at Shadowsinger, always on time, always seemingly serious… she often wondered how much of this was because he wanted to do his duty and how much was because he liked her. The small mech was by now a part of the crew, he was accepted and apparently happy. Xobit really did hope he was happy, hoped that he knew that he could come to her about anything that needed to be addressed. "Hello, Shadowsinger had a good recharge cycle?"

"Good? Decent, not bad. You?" The return question was fairly pointless, he could see quite well that the Prime was still tired. He couldn't really blame her, she had more duties than he did and she still had to put up with the random idiots in the greater command structure. And he knew from experience that there were a LOT of random idiots in the greater command structure.

"Recharge? A myth as far as I know…" Grinning a little, Xobit leaned back in her seat, delivering the joke with an air of absolute conviction before turning serious again. "Well, what have ya fer me this mornin'? I'm not gonna be any more rested then I am now…"

She often wondered if anyone knew what Glyph and Excavator had been up to, besides her that was… they had been so secretive about it all, so very careful… Shaking her head slightly, Xobit smiled again, focusing back on the present and her CSO. "I am sorry, Shadowsinger, I have a lot on my processor I'm afraid. Sit down won't ya, and tell me what I need to know?"

Shadowsinger offered a sardonic grin at the deadpan joke. "A myth others seem to believe in..." All he could offer was support, it was the medic's place to order her to recharge, after all... "Nothin' y'need t'know, really... Honestly, I'm kinda more checkin' that everyone's still around and functioning..." he pulled a face at that, knowing how stupid it sounded. "Prime... D'ya need... CAN y'talk about it?" Shadowsinger had to amend his comment, remembering half-way through that Xobit might not be allowed to talk about whatever was bothering her, for whatever reasons.

Huffing a little, Xobit was almost as surprised at the sudden change of wording as at the fact that he was even asking… but then he was the one who always saw her when she was down, unguarded and without her habitual stoic mask of 'Xobit Prime' in place. It was not per se a secret… only Glyph had said to be careful with whom to trust with her notes. Yes, her notes, but what had she meant by 'careful'? And really, she needed to talk and Shadowsinger was always good at listening. "It really doesn't even involv' the war, Shadowsinger… It is an old memory, the death of friends plaguing me and a riddle supposedly as old as Cybertron itself compounding everything."

Now that was novel, deaths that didn't involve the war. Well, he had known that exploration had it's own dangers. And an old riddle, he wasn't that great with riddles, but hey... "Nice t'know somthin' doesn't involve the war... Maybe another point of view could shed some light," Shadowsinger shrugged though, nonverbally signaling that he was NOT promising anything. "And if you'd rather talk about your friends, I'd be honored to hear about them."

"Well both are inescapably linked so one would have to follow the other, but it is not an easy story nor a nice one… ya see Shadowsinger, I failed my friends and I continue to fail them!" turning a little to stare at the wall instead of her CSO she again played the clip of sound that was her last memory of Glyph…

"I was a clerk before… I worked in the data storage compound in Crystal City, preserving the oldest records known to Cybertronians. Glyph and her spark mate Excavator were, well, Glyph was a historian and Excavator an archaeologist, they traveled off world often chasing leads on the ships that left to explore and never returned again. I worked mainly with the records of legends, myths if ya want to call it that… myths of Primus and the heart of Cybertron…"

Glyph, historian, Excavator, archaeologist, chasing lost exploration ships... Xobit, whatever her name had been, clerk, he'd know that, legends and myths... Datapoints were sorted rapidly. Shadowsinger very much doubted that Xobit truly failed anyone, but hear the story first. "Heart of Cybertron? The... term is familiar, but..." The pale mech shook his head, he couldn't remember where he'd heard it.

"Ya might know it better as 'Vector Sigma' or 'the Voice of Primus'… it is a fabled artifact supposedly enabling the one finding it to talk to Primus and end all conflict between Autobots and Decepticons… and various other interpretations of rather cryptic data left about it." Shifting she leaned her head on her hand and huffed again. "I was assigned to help them, Glyph and Excavator. Ultimately I left with them to travel the star paths for evidence of the heart. We traveled for many cycles, saw many wonders and found something… an old ruin of a Cybertronian city and a … well, it was a wall painting on a cliff. It was etched into the rock, the letters and images inlayed with glass, repeating one sentence over and over. 'To find the voice seek out, then in. The heart will speak when the soul still sleeps.'"

Oh, that was where he'd heard the term... one of those lovely weird impressionistic authors that he'd never really gotten a taste for. Shadowsinger preferred plays and other things where he could actually understand the story. "If I could talk to Primus, I fear I would be rather uncomplimentary to him..." As beautiful as he suspected that painting would be, that sentence made... very little sense. "Um... That sounds... insanely frustrating. Maybe they're meaning... um, but no, that wouldn't make sense, sure maybe you can only hear the voice of Primus inside yourself, but that doesn't hold with calling it Vector Sigma OR heart of CYBERTRON..." No wonder Xobit wasn't recharging, this was going to bug him to the pit and back too!

"Well, according to the oldest myths I have read, Primus… sacrificed himself in Quentessa's invasion, causing him to withdraw from the everyday life of his children… the invasion lasted over a million stellar cycles, as ya may know? Most of this was history already on its way to legend at the end of that war. Then the civil war began and, well… mostly all that survived that was fragments and riddles."

Shaking her head in an abortive gesture, Xobt returned to the story. "There were other things written, enough to make it understood that the 'then in' was literal, we had to go into something… but what? We never found out. On our way back to Cybertron we stumbled upon another planet of interest and they went into a cave system… it collapsed… I could not get them out before Excavator died and Glyph, of course, followed him… If I had said yes, then Glyph would still be alive and we might even have been able to save Excavator!"

Shadowsinger couldn't help but shiver at the reminder of the price a fully completed sparkbond could demand. It was truly a sad story... "Wait, what? If you had said yes to what?" Xobit hadn't said anything about refusing anything... And how could anything have saved GLYPH if her bonded had died? There had to actually be something, Xobit didn't seem the type to beat herself up over something so clearly impossible, so clearly, it wasn't as impossible as he thought. Sometimes he really regretted not knowing more about bonds... Ironic, that.

"They asked me to bond with them… I told them that I had to think it over. If I had just told them that I wanted it, had said yes, then she, at least, would have survived! But I was afraid of it… afraid to intrude on the already existing bond. I loved them both… but I was so young then, too young to know that nothing lasts forever and too young to know that opportunities can be torn away…" A horrid smile twisted her face for a click, full of self hate and sadness. "I have not even been able to complete their research…"

Three way... bond? Without being a gestalt? Shadowsinger put that information aside for later, it was fascinating, but he could ask more about it later... no, research, better not to ask. "Bonding is not something to enter into lightly," Shadowsinger said carefully, this was way too likely to go somewhere he didn't want it too... "You made the best decision you could, NO ONE knows the future..."

"I was a historian… Primus gave the bonding ritual to his children for two reasons! One, to keep them from doing exactly what we are doing, waging civil war, and two, for the sake of reproduction… the Allspark…" Shaking her head in an abortive motion, Xobit focused back on the actual, painful, topic. "The bond is sacred, ya don't offer it unless ya are certain… I knew they loved me! And I feared that love… I rejected the greatest gift known to our kind out of fear."

Megatron had not know what he was offering, Shadowsinger had come to realize that. Neither of them had known what bonding truly entailed, anything more than the bare basics. "Y'shouldn't accept it 'less y'certain either. Needin' a little time t'... think about... what they were offerin..." He felt dizzy, but refused to worry his Prime yet again... he wouldn't be able to answer her questions anyway. "Do you really think Glyph blames you for her death?"

"No… but I blame myself. Fear should never dictate your actions, sometimes it is better to act despite your fear and I did not… my fear was irrational, misplaced, and I allowed it to stop something wondrous from happening… I allowed my best friends… my lovers to die." Pain had been a companion since that day… every new death in this war weighed her down further. Odds were that Vector Sigma held secrets that could stop the war, whether it was a supercomputer left from ancient times or an actual link to Primus himself.

Well... that was actually a good thing, Shadowsinger was able to recognize. At least she wasn't waiting on forgiveness from dead sparks... "Sometimes, acting despite your fear leaves you broken. Wondering what if... can drive you mad, which I'm sure you know. And it's really, really easy to do in a war, I've been finding that myself..." There really wasn't anything he could do to help, except puzzle over that riddle and share any random insights he had... So little. But then, having someone to listen was a help in itself.

"We are all a little mad, my friend… maybe in the case of this crew, more than a little? And anyway enough of this! I thank you for listening Shadowsinger, but… let us talk about something else now…?" Running a hand over her faceplates, Xobit smiled, a bit strained, at her CSO and cursory glanced over the data pads on her desk… hmm, nothing for him at this point.

"Well, a little madness is nothing but interesting," Shadowsinger agreed. "And sure, let's see..." He was rather pulling up blanks on what else to talk about. Usually, he didn't talk about himself at all, or minimally, staying in his room and our of trouble, or more recently keeping Havok out of bigger trouble by joining him in smaller things... "Um. Okay, I admit... I don't know what to talk about. I'm not great at coming up with topics."

Xobit could not help laughing at that, it was a freeing feeling, to just laugh some of the pain away… "That is fine Shadowsinger, I have work, and so do ya I imagine! Thanks once again fer listening to me. I'll see ya a lil' later." Smiling gently, she gestured to her stacks of data pads.

With a jaunty salute, just to tease the highly informal Prime, Shadowsinger jumped off the chair and left. And orn later, four orns from the interview which had brought him here, Shadowsinger was back on the base he had left. He had a Prime by his side, though, and an officer's markings, and he couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

To be truthful Xobit was a little gleeful about this… disciplining others wasn't really her forte, but this 'base commander' had earned himself a place on her black list. First it had been the fact that he would willfully waste her time, then it had been anger on Shadowsinger's behalf, and now it was a potent mix of both, topped off with the fact that she was angry over the mech wasting such talent on nothing but his own 'sick' humor. "Well, the title of Prime at least still gives ya good and fast treatment in this base… will be interesting to see how this former commander of yours behaved though…"

"Oh, I told ya, he's not tryin' t'cause trouble for those above him... And, well, small mechs should stay in clerical work, same way big strong mechs should be fighting, and dinobots should never be in positions of responsibility..." Shadowsinger didn't even try keeping the disgust from his voice as he spoke the prejudices that were more common here. He shrugged a little, letting the movement mentally cleanse his emotions.

"Not using the processor ya was assembled with means trouble fer everyone, high and low, on the rank ladder! An' I want him to know that… preferable to not do it ever again, but at the very least teach him not to do it to me and my crew… ya know I was tempted to take Loki with us, but I want him to learn a lesson, not keel over from a sparkflux." Dermaplates settling in a grim expression, Xobit unconsciously flexed her digits before curling her hands into fists.

It was with laughter that Shadowsinger ushered Xobit into Steelspark's office. The base commander frowned as the small mech came in, laughing, of all things, and what was he even doing back? He'd been transferred to that femme ship, and there'd been no requests for transferring him... back... and there was a femme following him. Suddenly, things didn't seem to be going so well for Steelspark.

Xobit could not help smiling when Shadowsinger laughed, but it was hidden away under her customary 'Prime' mask the click the door opened into the base commander's office. He was a large mech, larger then her, but also bulkier, and in all probability slower, her tactical computer assessed him and dismissed him quickly. While he was likely a very good soldier and an adequate commander, he was no threat. "Hello, Commander Steelspark. I believe we have a few things to discuss."

No... Steelspark decided things really weren't going well for him. He did, after all, know about the Prime of the Nerdene Hyrde. Standing, Steelspark didn't quite go to full attention, this was his office after all! Glancing at Shadowsinger, who was standing by the Prime with far more respect than he'd ever shown while on the base, the commander tried to figure out what was going on. Even if he had sent the small mech for a job he was clearly unsuited for, that didn't mean the Prime had any reason to come down here, after all, she'd surely be able to use a gofer, or even let the mech stay in his stupid frontline work, he'd managed to survive long enough doing that... "Ah, what do you wish to discuss, sir?"

"Your lack of respect for one thing!" Short and cold, Xobit had no intentions of helping Steelspark with figuring out what 'lack of respect' she was speaking off. The fact alone that he did not show her full courtesy told her that he was either a little too full of himself or did not consider a femme a proper 'Prime'. Frankly she did not care which one it was!

Steelspark snapped to attention at that, even more confused. "I... I'm perfectly respectful to those above me, sir!" he protested. Somehow, he was pretty sure that wasn't what the Prime was referring to... but what else could it be? "I mean, no-one else has expressed displeasure with my command, sir." Shadowsinger, it had to be! Always knew the mech's honesty was just a cover, who knew what kind of a deal he had with the Decepticons, no way someone that small could do half the things in his file without some kind of deal... "I don't know WHAT that mech's been telling you, sir, but I'm sure it's false!" Shadowsinger growled at that, clenching his fists and forcing himself to let Xobit handle this... she wouldn't let that accusation go...

Tilting her head and smiling serenely, bad signs, Xobit watched the bigger mech make a fool out of himself. He of course did not know that she could detect lies, not that he was lying. He was telling what he believed to be true, but she knew the truth from Shadowsinger and that weighed more in her judgment then Steelspark's unfounded prejudices. "My CSO has told me nothing about you other than that he did not appreciate your sense of humor…" Pausing to let this sink in, she spoke again when she saw the base commander getting ready to speak. "And neither do I! ...I also don't appreciate the lack of respect you show to a member of a Prime's entourage…" Icy cold now, still not really answering his questions… it would be interesting how deep he would bury himself.

Her... CSO? Oh, that just wasn't possible, sure, on paper the little mech looked suited enough for the job, but just one look at him and it was clear how foolish that idea was. Who wanted a Security Officer that couldn't even haul anyone to the brig? "I assure you, sir, this is not a matter of humor." Steelspark wasn't quite sure what to do... On the one hand, the Prime was right, he had been disrespectful if the mech was actually here as part of her entourage... But on the other hand, if Steelspark's suspicions were correct, this could be a very bad thing... But of course, if he really thought that, then why had he put the mech in line for the position in the first place?

"Really then… what does it have to do with? You see, I am a little confused as to how and why Shadowsinger turned up to an interview that he knew nothing about. While it turned out very well this time, stunts like that take up a lot of very valuable time, time that could be used far more productively, don't you think?" Raising an optic ridged was all the change in expression she allowed through.

"That wasn't a joke... I knew you could use him somehow! I... suppose the method I used to give him to you could have been... better..." Steelspark was beginning to feel smaller than the mech in question. Shadowsinger, for his part, was working very, very hard to stay calm. He was NOT a possession, not Steelspark's at least... He couldn't wait to see how Xobit would react to that phrasing.

Again not quite a lie, but not the truth either… humiliation? Probably, why else send someone to a place where he or she might be refused simply because of their size. "I could… use him?" That formulation was making her very unhappy, a Prime did not use his or her subordinates and neither should a commander. "I don't use my subordinates, they follow me of their own free will and may go anywhere they choose when they feel it is time to depart… I would deem it wise not to use that term again about the mechs and femmes who are trying to protect their homes and families!" White hot fury was kept hidden, while different method of dealing with the base commander were turned over between her tactical computer and her calculations processor.

"'Anywhere they choose', Prime? Even if they choose to depart and join the 'cons, would you still let them go then?" Steelspark said, with a faint note of desperation, he knew he had misspoke, and a louder note of disdain, that was all well and good for ships, but down here... They knew better than to try for such soft-sparked ideals. "And what of those who join, not to protect, but simply to fight the 'cons, is it permissible to 'use' them?"

Taking the few steps to the desk, Xobit managed to somehow 'tower' over the errant base commander's bulky form. "I will not kill anyone for making a choice. I will kill on the battle field when it is needed! Everyone fights for a reason… some just keeps it private, as is their right. I will suggest that you do not try to teach someone who is both older than you and has seen more of both war and peace!"

"And if that choice includes taking the secrets you've entrusted to them, as well? Will you still just happily let them walk away when they carry secrets vital to your ship's operation?" Yes, Steelspark was cowering... but he was also glaring at Shadowsinger, while the pale mech was shaking from the force of holding himself back.

Stranding tall, rigid with anger, she glared icily at the mech. "It is their choice, and they know what they will face the next time I see them!" With casual ease, Xobit called her blades out of subspace and activated the rest of her armament… ironically, while it all was impressive, her real skill lay in unarmed combat. She was more deadly with her hands than her entire arsenal combined.

Steelspark looked at the weaponry in shock. He had momentarily forgotten that she was indeed a PRIME, with all that entailed, all that suggested... But it was still a foolish, foolish position for the femme to take, if the right person walked away, her entire ship could die before she ever saw them again to use all that impressive weaponry. Still, he had no choice but to back down, he knew well enough that she wasn't going to listen to him. "Their... choice..."

"You do not believe me…" Cocking her head, she withdrew her armament, not really surprised at all… this mech was not easily convinced, much too… hide bound to let go of what he deemed the truth, the 'right' way of acting. "Tell me… Steelspark, what do you consider right? Proper? What do you think the Autobot cause stand for… how do you judge a mech or femme?" He was all too easily manipulated, all that was needed was someone who would stroke his ego… tell him how right he was…

"A return to the days of order, of prosperity and freedom, not this tyranny and terror the Decepticons bring, THAT is what the Autobots stand for! If a mech, or femme, brings chaos, confusion, discord, or other such troubles, I question them, I find them lacking!" Steelspark answered proudly, finally they were getting somewhere...

"Wrong!" The ice was back in her tone and she was radiating displeasure strongly enough that Shadowsinger stiffened in reaction, the small mech already used to reading her. "The Autobots stand for freedom, freedom to be whom and what you want to be… if that is Decepticon then so be it, the price will be paid on the battle field when the times come." Xobit was snarling now, almost irrationally, angry at this mech who put himself as judge over soldiers that did not need a judge as much as they needed someone to care for them.

Steelspark flinched a little at the tone, he could tell he was pushing things... but that attitude was not sustainable in war! "With all respect, Prime, that way leads to anarchy and chaos. Exactly what was in Kaon, exactly the sort of circumstances that the Decepticons came from in the first place! Freedom is a noble ideal, but when it endangers my command, well... Don't I have the freedom to keep it safe?"

"That your troops are not afraid to tell you if you decisions are wrong is not anarchy… that they can come to you with ideas, wishes and dreams is not chaos! You are talking about control. Control is not wrong if wielded right, YOU are not wielding it right… it is a tool, nothing more… it is not meant to make you troops… your individual soldiers, into tools." Narrowing her optics, she once again clenched her hands into fists, remembering all too well how people and judged her in her original small and delicate form. Xobit was big now, slender compared to mechs of the same size, but in no way delicate… "We are not all what we seem to be… sadly, you are making the opposite impression… YOU are exactly what you seem to be!"

There was no changing her mind... and there was no changing his. "I am a leader. Not a confidant, not a friend, but a leader. I do not see my loyal soldiers as tools, but I will not allow dissent in my ranks. That too often leads to mechs refusing to work with each other, and then they just fall apart under an attack, no, I will not allow that. Was there anything else you wished to discuss with me, Prime?"

"Actually… I just came to inform you that the manner in which you sent Shadowsinger to me will be put on your record, as will your lack of respect of the title of 'Prime'. I will also write a personal assessment on your behavior and what… jobs I find you unsuitable for. I gather that the Matrix has already passed you by for Prime-hood… when I leave here, and when your own Prime contacts you, and he will, I will PERSONALLY make sure of that, I want you to think about that… to actually think about why the Matrix did not make a Prime out of you, in this time when we so desperately need every Prime we can get..." Smiling amiably and speaking in a perfectly pleasant voice, Xobit then turned and walked out as if nothing untoward had happened.

Steelspark collapsed into his chair as she left. Primes were... scary... and femmes even worse!

Giving a polite nod, Shadowsinger followed Xobit silently. He was partly giving her time to calm down, and giving himself time as well, but also, he was thinking. He had got a lot to think about during the short conversation, almost enough to override his satisfaction about the stubborn mech finally hearing some truth from someone to whom he had to listen.

She was actually feeling pretty good… while he had obviously not been ready to listen to her, and probably not to his 'own' Prime either, she had said what she came to say, and at some point he would learn the truth of her words. She had done what she could, all that was left now was a slight hope that Steelspark would actually learn before it was too late… "Well that went about as I imagined… stubborn glitch!" Shaking her head in asperity, Xobit smiled briefly at Shadowsinger.

"Yes, he is..." the small mech had calmed down a little. It had been... unpleasant to hear those attitudes actually spoken. "I find myself surprised he actually... y'know, said som'a that... Actually, I think that went a little better than I had imagined..."

"I am not… being a femme Prime, the only femme Prime, has many more disadvantages then advantages. Some mechs would even accuse me of interfacing for the title, maybe they actually do say that, even if that is simply impossible. I did not even know that the Matrix had passed into the hands of another, or that the act of naming 'extra' Primes had gone out of use…" She was still somewhat distracted, going over and correlating the data of the meeting with the data she had dug out about Steelspark prior to the meeting.

"Hn?" a small, confused sound as Shadowsinger pulled himself from his thoughts to listen. He knew very little about how Primes were chosen, nothing more than the bare basics. He did know perfectly well that interfacing your way to the title was impossible, but he also knew perfectly well that there was nothing so impossible that rumor wouldn't call it true. Fascinating things, rumors, truly fascinating, and jealous accusations gave life to many.

Glancing down, Xobit smiled vaguely… "I am probably older then Optimus… I have certainly been Prime longer. We were gone far longer than we thought, and came back to a changed Cybertron… and a resurrected war that… well, that should never have happened!" No, it should not have been, Glyph and Excavator should have lived to find the heart, and then all would have been well and peace would still reign.

Oh... Shadowsinger had never quite taken the trouble to figure out Xobit's age. Not that it mattered, of course, he just... forgot sometimes how young he actually was, how little he'd really seen. Well, that did explain some of her attitudes... "Aah. Talk about a shock... I do agree, the war... should not have happened..." His own creator had helped revive the war, giving weapons... and paid the price, that was all past.

"Shock is not the word… or at least not descriptive enough." Again shaking her head, this time more an abortive action then anything really meaningful. "We simply choose sides again… trying to preserve the Cybertron we knew, loved and had already fought to establish once… in reality, we all felt rather numb."

Did she know, he wondered, how corrupt the power structure had gotten... probably. After all, wars... needed corruption to grow, it seemed. "Numb... that's a good word to describe how I felt, too, I guess. And I had the 'benefit' of seeing it coming... Have you," Shadowsinger cut himself off, "No, stupid question, of course not..."

"Have I what? And Shadowsinger… a question is seldom stupid or wrong if it comes from a genuine need to know." Waiting patiently for him to continue, she kept walking with measured steps, eager to get out of the oppressively orange base.

"...Ever wondered if you chose the right side..." Shadowsinger finished the question in a quiet voice, not so much because he wanted to know now, but because Xobit wanted him to. "Like I said. Stupid question."

"No, not so stupid… and yes, I have. The first time and this time, but no, I am pretty sure that I have made the only choice right for me. I… can kill, I have killed, but it is not a lifestyle that suits me. If given the choice, I will choose to spare my enemies in the hope that they will spare others in turn… it is a fallibility all Primes suffer from…" Soft and somewhat sadly, Xobit spoke of the things that made her and others Primes… of the personality makeup that cost, and yet, gave so much.

"Not so much a fallibility... I've killed, I've..." Oh, he hadn't meant to say that... but then, maybe warning her before hand would turn out better in the long run, "I've been known to... berserk in a fight, pit, I was having to fight it off back there," he indicated Steelspark's office with a jerk of his head. "And yeah... I've enjoyed the feel of energon on my blades... while the battle-madness has me. Afterwards, I'm usually horrified by what I did... but even then, even fully in the madness... I seek to avoid killing, and when that's not possible... that's not ever something I've taken joy in."

"You are not the only one feeling like that and in our ranks… I have tasted the madness of battle too. Believe it or not, Shadowsinger, I was young too once. Sometimes mechs and femmes 'grow' out of it, at other times not, we are all prey to weaknesses, and our lives are spend trying to fix them and make up for them, on bettering ourselves… the tests are so much harsher in wars, they make or break so very easily…" Gesturing broadly, encompassing the base and all of Cybertron in her words.

"And in the meantime, everyone avoids me..." Shadowsinger gave up with a shrug, she didn't need to be told what she likely already knew, and he had, after all, deliberately down-played his tendency. "Tests... It's the stress, I think, stress wears everyone down, war just... happens to be more stressful than peace..." Another shrug, and a grin, "But I'm sure y'know that all already."

"Have you… no, not yet I gather… hum, try asking Loki how we met! Ask the rest of my crew how I fight… how they fight. Ya might find more kindred sparks then ya think…" She did not want to tell him, he needed to really talk to them, to see for himself that they were really what she hinted at…

"No," Shadowsinger said. "No, before I hear stories, I would rather see. Fewer distortions that way. Though afterwards... well, I do rather enjoy hearing stories."

"Fair enough, and probably a good idea. Although, I'll say that most of them tell the truth with only moderate bragging." Grinning freely now, Xobit half shrugged and quite suddenly relaxed fully. Steelspark had been, well, just about the epitome of everything hidebound, and thereby the closest to what she truly despised. There was nothing wrong with traditions and such, as long as there was room for growth and development… there wasn't in Steelspark's worldview.

"Oh, I had assumed that!" He had, too, he had already found that Xobit's crew might keep secrets, but they didn't really lie, something he liked. "Soo... anything else y'wanted t'do here, or you just wanna get home?"

"Well, now that we are here, let us visit Praxsus' crystal gardens. They are relaxing and… frankly, I need a bit more relaxing after meeting that bolt head!" Smiling a little sadly, Xobit gestured towards the skimmer they had taken from the spaceport. She was satisfied that it was over with, but needed to visit one of the still untouched places on the war torn planet. "I think… I think that you will truly fit in, my friend!"

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So... please leave a review? We like reviews...


	3. Chapter 3

And this is how the resident human came to learn about us... Shadow by Kd Zeal, and Wei Yao by Sulcal. Transformers still is not ours.  


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It was one thing to be on Earth. Earth was fun, the people were interesting, and he really had nothing to do but watch. Thank Primus for vacations. But of course, speaking of the deity, he was likely the one to blame for Shadowsinger's current predicament. He was sitting in someone's driveway and festooned with purple ribbons and a card. He'd hardly expected to be purchased and given as a ... 'birth day present'.

David Algren had known Wei Yao for quite some time. Actually, a long time. Ever since he'd shown up for training that day, frightened as any new kid, practically thrown right to the sharks. They hadn't hit it off right then, but now... well, there was almost seven years of history between them. No one ended up in Portables and Wireless Tier Two without a reason. The kid was good. Highest C-Sat in almost the whole country. But whatever. He grinned as he set the card in place. Looked about right. It was a good bike! Ran well, looked cool. 'Sides, it was about damn time Wei got himself a ride rather than bumming one off of Christina....

With a quick grin, David kicked up a stone from near the drive way and heaved it at the door. Hard. "YO! Asshole! Get yer butt out here, birthday boy!" he shouted. And heaved another stone.

The door snapped open, and Wei stood there, and for once, he'd opted for a longer shirt rather than looking like he was freezing his butt off in the AC of the workplace. He frowned for a second, glancing from his friend to the... "Almgren... what the hell is that?" he asked, pointing, and rather baffled. That better not be what he thought it was...

Right, new thought. Thank Primus he wasn't staying with the rock-throwing shouter. Not that he had any proof the dark-haired newcomer was any BETTER, but he didn't look bad. Kind of nicely confused. Shadow would feel rather guilty when his vacation was up and he had to leave the guy ride-less again...

"It's your birthday gift, man! What else?" David responded with a broad grin, and then running a hand through his dirty-blond hair. He motioned at the bike. "How's it feel to be twenty-three and still a punk-ass weirdo who hides in his house all weekend?" And Wei... almost didn't have a response. "I know you like bikes. You do, right? 'Course ya do. Lock up and go take a spin!"

"Almgren! Shut up! You didn't have to... I mean..." Wei's arms came out and flailed a bit, mouth turning up in a grin he hadn't expected. But when he reached the bike, he almost couldn't believe himself. It wasn't exactly a model he'd seen before. And he pulled the card off, reading it over --something obnoxious, the only way David ever could be-- but... wow. His hands gently pulled the ribbons away, eyes wide with excitement. "I'm going to kill you at work tomorrow, and I'll be on time for it."

Tone, tone alone, and Almgren's laugh, reassured Shadowsinger that the threat was a playful one. The ribbons fell away, revealing his ivory and purple paint. He wondered what it would feel like, to have this slender human riding him, controlling him... from the way he'd removed the ribbons, he'd be gentle.

"Yeah, yeah! Thank me later with some twinkies. Better be in my cube-- ninja-ed or otherwise, man." David just snerked at the other man, shrugging as he moved to his paint-chipped sedan, driving off without even a goodbye or-- sometimes that man pissed Wei off. Honestly and truly, but his mind wasn't on that. His grin just wouldn't go away as in inspected the motorcycle, head tilting from one side to another. Ah, well. At least Almgren didn't park that thing in his garden this time. For a moment he rubbed his arms in the early autumn chill... "Be right back," he muttered to himself, giddy, streaking inside for his jacket and kicking ribbons aside as he went.

Shadowsinger couldn't keep from humming in anticipation with a faint electric whine. Who cared that he wouldn't be driving himself? That was... honestly, that was part of the draw.

Wei marched himself out, locked the door, stuffing his keys in his hoodie. When he'd returned, shoving the ribbon in the plastic crate he usually reserved for some of his gardening stuff, card pinned under it, he was in a better mood than he'd been when he woke up this fine Saturday morning. The whole week had been module training for Airport devices, and supporting Vista and Windows products connected to it... not fun. Nine to ten hour schedules never were. But there was one thing Wei wasn't counting on when he stood next to his gift, looking it over. No key.... At all. "...I'm gonna kill that guy," the dark-haired man groaned, shoulders slumping.

Oh, Prime was going to kill him. And then Wishmaster would rebuild him so she could kill him again. How the FRAG could he forget the human's starting device? But like he was going to let something like that stop him from his anticipated ride? Not slagging likely. Shadowsinger started his gas engine, letting it purr invitingly.

There was a yelp on Wei's part, his body giving a sudden jerk as the bike... started itself? He clutched at his chest, awed in a way. Well... Sweden had some pretty good vehicles that were push-start. If this was Almgren's idea of a good joke, he was NOT amused. ...okay, maybe a little. Sighing, he eased himself. Geez. David was such a jerk sometimes. And with that settled, Wei swung his leg over, seating himself, shifting to get comfortable. Oh, this was going to be so cool! Wonder how fast it went...

Shadowsinger wanted to melt as the human settled onto him. The small-for-a-human fit very well on the small-for-a-mech, and Shadow had to hold himself back from driving forward with a roar. But no, he was letting the man drive him, he was in charge of when they would go, and where.

Wei didn't exactly live in the best house, but it was in a good neighborhood at least. The street wasn't really on any high way, but Koenig was close by. Hm. Access road... Wei backed them out carefully and turned. Enough. Live right on the corner of Payne Avenue.... right... so there wasn't TOO much of a problem with him taking a test drive around here... right? Ah, well! Wei revved the engine carefully with a slight turn of his wrist. And gassed it. Enough to start off and then speed down the street was a well enough pace.

Ugh, Shadowsinger rather hated using his gas engine for much of anything. So he rather enjoyed it when his rider pushed faster and the electric engine took over. Of course, the startled, "What?" from the human was rather enjoyable too. He couldn't help it, he pushed himself faster, the whine of his engines climbing in pitch.

"Oh, boy! Not good! Not good!" For one thing, Wei was alright with speed. Speed was fine. It was another matter, however, when you're going to fast and you can hardly see what your doing. Wei panicked. A rather normal, human thing to do when you're on a machine that has not seat belt. And out of instinct, Wei went right for the breaks at the blurred sight of Koenig and on-coming heavy traffic-- he didn't need to crash into another tree like hist first time on one of these things and end with another broken collarbone.

"Oh, nonono, not the brakes..." Shadowsinger muttered as the human pounded them. The sudden change in inertia stopped his front tire HARD, and he didn't have TIME to worry about secrecy, the human didn't have a helmet, like that would have helped at these speeds, and, "Prime is going to KILL ME," Shadowsinger moaned, shifting and twisting, catching the human and curling around him, and HOPING, Primus PLEASE, let them get under cover with minimal notice.

Ditches were great for cover. Most of the streets leading right to it had them, dual streets, with "creeks" between them. Landing in one of them sent a wave of loose dirt up in the empty creek bed, but it was soft enough and hardly any rocks. But Wei wasn't concerned with that. Wei was concerned with one minute nearly sailing through the air, about ready to land on the bending curb of the street, and the next... no so much. Instead, he'd been caught. Heart racing and mind rather blank from the near-brush with what was bound to be deadly... "Shit... oh, man..." He tried breathing. Sure... like that was going to happen when you were looking-- "...robot...?"

Blue optics met frightened brown eyes, and Shadowsinger smiled nervously. "I am in so much trouble..." he muttered. "Ah... I'm gonna transform, you ride me back home, and then I explain." And he really, REALLY hoped the human would just listen to him and save the freak out for... not so public.

"You think you're in trouble... crap... what am I going to tell Almgren?" Wei barely registered the nervous smile, too busy staring. Robot. Not really a giant, city-destroying robot or even the cool kind off of some movie's he'd seen before. It had been his motorcycle. Okay... um... right? But he nodded slowly, rather numb. Almgren was going to kill him. Or freak. Or _something_ when he heard about this. If he heard about this. _I've died. That's it. Or this is what a coma is like..._ Had to be dreaming.

"With any luck, you're not," Shadow muttered to himself, folding back into his earth alt form. "Come on, I'm not gonna hurt you. And leave the driving to me this time..." It had to be the battles. There was no other way he could be so calm after something like this.

Wei pulled himself up to a more dignified position. Not a peep from him, and he was slightly shaking. Shock often hit humans hard enough as it was in situations like this. But... then again, humans don't end up with robots offering to drive you home... He gingerly seated himself.

He started off silently this time, never engaging the gas engine. He also kept his speed below the legal limit this time. Reaching the house, Shadowsinger drove himself into the garage, idly wondering what so many plants were doing indoors. "Hey... you okay?" _Primus, I broke my human._

"No... no, I don't think I am. I'm talking to a motorcycle..." Wei licked his lips, slipping off and finding himself his work stool. It was sitting around a few vine plants in their pots, just barely starting to grow. And he plopped himself down, blinking. "I think I've been working to long, you know. That last Mountain Dew must have put me into a diabetic coma..."

Once again transforming, Shadowsinger answered while his wheels moved back to form 'wings'. "I'm not a motorcycle. I just look like one." He sat on the ground, careful of the surrounding plants, and did a quick Internet search about diabetic comas, just to make sure the human wasn't actually in on. He was going to have to contact Prime, too, at some point... ugh. "You're not in a coma. I'd guess some shock from the accident, but not a coma."

Wei nodded again. Well, at least his herbs weren't getting mushed. Maybe he should close the garage door...? "Oh... okay... makes sense... Um... you don't happen to be a figment of my imagination, either, are you? Just so I know I'm not dreaming?"

_But can't a figment claim to be real, and how could you tell_, Shadowsinger thought. He figured, for the health of his human, that he shouldn't say that. And when the PIT had he started thinking of the man as 'HIS' human? "No, I'm not a figment of your imagination. I'm an Autobot. My designation is Shadowsinger."

"Shadowsinger. I got it. You're starting to sound like something out of the Apple modules..." The man looked around, then down at himself, rubbing his hands idly over his hole-filled jeans and the faint grass stains on the knees from having been planting early that day. Fall tulips were nice. But that wasn't the point. "I'm Wei Yao, if that counts for anything... So... Autobot? You some kind of cybernetic race? Like aliens or something?"

He blinked, optics offlining for a second. "Ah... yes. Exactly. We're autonomous mechanical lifeforms from the planet Cybertron. And you were never supposed to find out about us." A note of sadness colored the last statement as Shadowsinger began going through the complications he had just caused.

Not supposed to find out....? So much for that. A whole weekend off. Not just one day. A whole weekend. Happy birthday to me, he thought sarcastically to himself, shaking his head a little. "So what now? Are you going to mind-fry me like in that one movie or something? I kind like my memories where they are..."

"What... NO! Primus, no, do you think I'm some kind of Decepticon? Primus, even they wouldn't do that, they'd just kill you..." he trailed off, realizing that Wei had no idea what he was talking about. "I suppose Prime will just have to deal," he muttered.

Wei raised his arm, hand in the air, a rather puzzled look on his face. "Question."

Shadowsinger gave Wei an odd look, not sure why the human felt it necessary to raise his arm in the air. "Yes?"

"...Primus? Prime? Same thing? I'm a little confused, and really, really don't know what's going on. Why were you anywhere near somewhere Almgren could find you?"

He chuckled at the innocent question. "No, Primus is our creator deity. Prime, the one I meant at least, is my superior officer, the captain of the Nerdene Hyrde, my ship. And... um... I was on vacation." He looked away, feeling a leaf for something to do.

Wei nodded again. His heart was aching, and so was his left arm. "Hey... do you know any way to treat panic attacks? 'Cause I think I'm having one..." Actually, he was surprised his mind could function at all. Everything Shadowsinger had just told him-- yup, in one ear and out the other, smashing his already battered brain on the way.

"Ah, panic attack..." Well, that was expected, life couldn't possibly go smoothly, not at all. Quickly checking the Internet, that had almost become habit, Shadowsinger picked Wei up and started carrying him into the house proper. "You need to lay down, and I need to keep you warm," he echoed what he'd just learned.

"Whoa! Whoa! Y'know! I don't think scary robots walking around in my... oh, never mind..." There was the matter of trying to remember to breathe-- and it wasn't like it he seemed to have much of a choice. The garage was connected to the hallway, and Shadowsinger seemed to just barely fit inside the frame, and Wei debated before he simple mumbled something about the beaten-up, old couch sitting in the living room among yet MORE plants and a large jumble of wires and monitors he called his workstation. The couch was better than anything else at the moment for his panic-stricken nerves.

Wei thought HE was scary? Pray he never met a 'con, then. Couch, okay, he could do that... Laying Wei across the couch, it didn't look very comfortable to Shadowsinger. Then again, how did he know what organics liked? Now he needed blankets, blankets were in closest... Oh, slag it all, he had something in his subspace that would work just as well. Pulling out one of the (clean!) random clothes he kept around for mopping up spills, Shadow tucked that around Wei, then looked for a plant-free sitting space.

Wei frowned for a moment, not entirely sure what he was supposed to think. Or do. Or say. It sort of all just washed over his brain. Panic attacks were a bit of an odd thing. Last time he'd had one was when all of the computers in Portables crashed thanks to John pulling some stupid stunt that got him nixed from the company. You never ask what happens to employees... Apple's lawyers were scary. Scarier than robots trying to sit in your living room? Yeah! Plenty! He could go with that... Wei folded those thoughts up for a moment and set them aside, watching Shadowsinger with the human equivalent of "what the hell has my life come to now?" in his terribly confused gaze.

Something about the way Wei looked at him made Shadowsinger just want to curl up in a ball. "Don't be frightened, please don't be scared. Everything will be fine, nothing's going to hurt you." He should contact Wishmaster, the medic would know what to do, but he was so touchy... No, he didn't need to do that, not yet. Stroking Wei's arm under the cloth, Shadow muttered again, "You'll be just fine, I promise."

"Just... a lot to take in, really..." He murmured. Actually, the touch was welcome. Real, tangible. Not dreaming. Wei took in a deep breath, let out it slowly, and kind of felt himself calm down some. Freaking out was _not_ going to help, at all. Especially with the fact that it was rather obvious that there were _more_ out there...

He seemed to like the touch, Shadow noticed. "Yes, I suppose it is a bit. Just take your time, there's no hurry." Thank Primus for THAT... from what he'd heard, Sam's introduction had been... much less gentle.

"Considering I have work tomorrow at eight..." A slight shrug. How work fit into his mind, Wei would never be able to process. For now, small talk was good. "Thanks. I guess your vacation or whatever is practically made contact with an atom bomb or something, huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea... The only thing that could frag it up worse is 'cons. Prime's gonna have my aft in the brig for an orn... Well, no, Prime wouldn't... but Loki would. Assuming Wish doesn't disassemble me first..." He was rambling, Shadow knew. Then he smiled, "Still, I got to actually met you, so it can't be all bad."

"Huh. I guess that's pretty messed up. I mean, it would have been nice, owning my own set of wheels for once. Almgren used to sneak in real early in the morning and set spiders loose everywhere for fun since he was the one giving me rides." Wei nodded resolutely and moved to sit up, scowling slightly. "So we're both in pretty hot water. What now?"

"Well... I need to contact... someone, at this point I don't really care who. And then... um..." Well, slag, he wasn't sure. Except, "It'll probably be safer for you to stay with me, the 'cons aren't as likely to find you... or reach you, at least."

"The 'cons? Is there something going on?" Safe? From what? He was only one measly human out of a bunch of 'em, right? "There's nothing special about me... I mean, if there's something up, isn't it easier to blend in?"

Oh dear, this might send him off again... but then, he had the right to know, since Shadow had dragged the poor man into this mess to start with. Why couldn't he have just let the human drive like he'd planned? "Easier to blend in, yes. Safer... no, I can't say that it's safer." Vents cycled in a sigh as Shadow thought about how best to put this.

"Decepticons and Autobots have been at war for vorns. Ah, that is... eons. The 'cons are... not nice." Understatement of the century... "And if they think they can use you, in any manner... they won't think twice about it." He was stressing the danger to Wei, wanting... needing the human to know the stakes.

Okay. A lot more of them, it looked like. "This seriously sounds like some whacked-out science-fiction novel..." Wei began, leaning himself against the back of the couch to look the mech over more closely. This wasn't as frightening as maybe it could have been. He wasn't being crushed or anything. Underfoot or otherwise. "You guys are fighting? Have been for a long time, right? They're going to use humans against you guys all the time? It's not safe to be here at all?" Ah, man! He's just gotten his herbs going, too!

"Yes, yes, they're actually rather good about leaving you alone most of the time, and... not really." Just as Shadowsinger finished answering the slew of questions, there was a knock at the door.

Wei jerked with a slight curse, pushing the cloth away. "Oh, crap! That might be Almgren or something... uh... uh..." He looked around as he stumbled to his feet --another knock. "Hold on! Hey-- hide. Do something! I can't have everyone and their mothers freaking out on my block-- damn it! What if someone saw us crash!" He was at the door, hand one the door knob, ready to pull it open with a pleading look over his shoulder at Shadowsinger.

-who had already hidden in a hallway.

Standing on Wei's doorstep as though he had every right to be there was a five foot tall robot who looked more like a silver collection of blades than anything. Looking at Wei with FOUR bright blue optics, the robot spoke in a quick tone. "Are you Mr. Yao, Apple tech number 47227, whom I spoke with from 9:43 am to 10:06 am on 3/20/08?"

Wei's mouth opened and closed several times. For a moment, he wasn't sure what the hell he was even looking, much less that he even liked it. Shadowsinger did NOT have the same build. Almost reminded him of an insect with the way he spoke. "...uh... I'm Yao, yeah... C-can I help... you?" The last bit was a small squeak, the man already wanting to just bolt straight for somewhere safe.

"The software you programmed my computer with contained numerous flaws, when I attempted to connect it to your Internet your company attempted to steal my personal information, and I am NOT HAPPY with you, Mr. Yao," the small thing answered in the same rapid-fire manner, stepping closer and closer as he spoke until they were both standing in the living room. Casually, he swung the door shut with his foot, tone going deadly sharp as he announced his unhappiness.

Unseen in the hallway, Shadowsinger tensed. Wei wasn't in trouble yet, but from Frenzy's tone this really wasn't going to end well. Nothing for it but to wait and hope for the best, though, if he revealed himself Wei would REALLY be in danger.

"P... programmed? I, uh... um... Clause Seven in the handbook clearly s-states to call... um... what-what computer were you trying to run?" Wei was back up right into the couch, his knees going out and he flopped down, gulping. "I mean, if you're registered with the system... it.... it updates itself. You had to have uploaded something other than Apple software..."

Frenzy put his spiked face way too close to Wei's for comfort. "You think I'm st-stupid, squishy?" he snarled. Pulling a small ball of circuits and wires and plastic, he dropped it on Wei's lap. "Th-at was the compu-puter. Let's seesee how small you getgetget..."

The sharp mech moving in forced Wei flatter against the sofa, his fingers scrabbling against the clumped and ruined computer. At that point in time, his mind blanked-- how small he got? That... no, no, no! His eyes went rather wide at that, mouth falling open, agape with disbelief.

Oh, Primus, Frenzy's vocalizer was glitching. Shadowsinger came around the corner, sonic cannon already prepared for a shot, but Wei and the couch were too much in the way. "Frenzy. Leave the human alone," Shadow ordered, consciously mimicking Soundwave's common mode of speech. It was, at the very least, guaranteed to get a reaction from the cassette.

Frenzy snapped his head up, grinning spikily at the 'bot. "M-m-make me, why don't-don't you?" he asked, right hand quickly cycling through a transformation. He smirked at the ivory 'bot, daring him to do something.

No time, no time-- crap, how was he gonna-- was that thing shifting? It was shifting. It was freaking shifting! Wei took in a sharp breath as his mind clicked into motion. Great thing about working tech support, stress was hard on the mind, but easily dealt with. Sure, there wasn't free espressos involved but that was the last thing on Wei's mind. He hefted the broken computer and tossed it. Close range. Striking Frenzy with it and scrambling to the side to slide behind the couch, in between it and the wall.

Frenzy screeched and scrabbled at the floor, taking out more than one plant pot as he did so. Shadowsinger didn't give him time recover, blasting the small mech with the sonic cannon while scooping Wei off the floor. "This time let ME drive," he snapped, diving outside and barely letting Wei go before he transformed into the kilacycle he masqueraded as.

"My plants! Damn it!" Wei shouted, 'oof'-ing as he was snatched and almost just as quickly dropped. "Wait! I gotta--" Wei dived a bit for the open doorway, snagging his pack just inside it. There were just some things he couldn't leave and if he was going to end up out of the road, Wei was going to damn well make sure he had his laptop with him. In the rush of the moment, he was back, straddling the seat and barely balancing himself. "C'mon! Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Are you suicidal?" Shadowsinger asked, electric motor whining as he pushed past 100mph and started hitting 200. "I refuse to believe Frenzy was alone, slag, I do NOT want to meet the rest..." Primus, he didn't want to meet Soundwave like this... "Shut up, I need to make a call..." -Longshot? Ah, I need a ride. Like... now. Available?-

-I'm not going to like this, am I?- the flier femme sighed. -Be there in two breems.-

Wei winced a little. Great. Some birthday this was turning out to be... Oh, sure, the beginning had been great! Actually got to sleep in for once, and not have to worry about work. Or David. Or anything, really. Got a little planting in, even some breakfast other than toast... He internally groaned as he hung on for life-- in just twenty-three years, his life had gone to hell in a nice, neat little package. Oi, what was he going to do about all of this?

Topping out at just under four-hundred, Shadowsinger turned his attention to finding a place Longshot could LAND. "We should be safe... Keep an optic out for a harrier jet, k? She's green and gray and cerise." NOT pink. He'd almost been dented for calling Longshot pink.

"What? I can't-- ugh." He heard him just fine, but really... he wasn't even sure he could open his eyes from the wind friction. He was already hunkered down as it was.

Oops... he really needed to get Wei a helmet if this kept up. And from the looks of things... this was going to keep up. Oh well, here was as good a place for Longshot to land as anywhere... Coming to a stop, Shadow asked, "Better? No bugs in your teeth?"

He sat there for a moment or two, blinking, hair more of a mess than it'd ever been. "No. I think we were going to fast for take out." But it was, at the least, somewhat better. And then something struck him and he looked down at the disguised mech. "Wait. How far are we going?"

_Take out?_ "Ah... two-hundred and fifty, maybe three hundred seventy five miles away. I'm not quite sure just where the Nerdene Hyrde is in orbit right now," Shadowsinger answered. "Oh, there's Longshot's signal... only a few minutes more."

"O... orbit ! We can't do that! I have family! Work! Do you know how hard it was to get that position?!" He was appalled! Space? Sure, any other human being would have jumped at the chance. Not him. Wei had already had enough of robots and things attacking him, and you know what? Not everyone can troubleshoot every damned computer on the planet! "This is insane! I'm getting off right now! I don't need this. I just wanted to live to see thirty!"

Shadowsinger answered in a very flat, almost cold, tone, "Then you come with me. Frenzy will not give up, and his creator is..." Soundwave. "Second in command of the Decepticons," Shadow finished, his voice shifting into some form of regret. "I am truly sorry for dragging you into this, Wei, but if you walk away now, you won't live to see next week, let alone thirty."

Resisting the urge to bang his head on something, Wei let himself sag slightly. So he really didn't have a choice, did he? "Ugh! This is so messed up..."

"Indeed," Shadow agreed. They sat in silence for the next couple minutes, long enough for Longshot to reach them and land.

"So... what's with the human?" the femme asked.

Wei... just found himself gapping at her.

"He's sitting on me?" Shadow quipped. A sigh from Longshot indicated how un-funny she found the joke. "Coming with us," he said.

"Is he now." No way was she putting her aft on the line if she didn't have to.

Wei wanted to pipe in that no, he was most certainly not sure about this. Hell. Who would be? Nothing came though, and he wilted.

Since Wei was STILL sitting on him, Shadow was reduced to driving closer to the harrier. "It's that or let the cassette's at him, Long'. Trust me, I know what I'm doing... Wei, would you please get off?"

"Huh... um! Oh!" Wei nearly toppled over, scrambling off of Shadowsinger and clutching his bag to him. "Please... to meet you?" he offered, looking up at Longshot and giving a fraction smile before it slipped away. He wasn't really up to smiling right at the moment...

"Loki is going to have your aft for lunch, you know," Longshot observed as Shadowsinger returned to his mech form. Turning her attention to the human, she opened her cockpit in invitation. "Well, come on then, let's get going."

Wei gave a furtive glance around himself --an empty lot fully of tall grass-- before climbing in. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it, or anything really. Maybe it was good that he was only a somewhat autopilot state. Better to handle things with. At least one good thing had come out of today... well, two. One, not dying. Two, met Shadowsinger. A small part of him thought this was just too cool. Wei shook his head in slight dismay. This wasn't going to be easy...

Shadowsinger watched with sad optics, knowing it was his fault that Wei was being torn away from... well, everything. On the other hand, if he hadn't been there, his human would likely be dead by now. That was a picture he didn't want to imagine. Wordlessly, he wrapped himself in and around one of Longshot's torpedo bays, and then she was off.

For a moment, Wei Yao looked down on the planet. Funny. It seemed like it should be so much bigger, but it was only shrinking away. This sucked. Majorly. Worse than trying to adapt iTVs... A pang hit him. Orbit meant sort of sticking around right? Right? ...ah well... Not like he was going to get the chance. So Wei just continued to sit there, feeling rather disconnected from the Airport base at the moment.

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Review? Yes? Please?


	4. Chapter 4

Here we go WAY back, near the end of the first civil war, five billion years before the conflict which Earth knows about... Back when the Nerdene Hyrde was only begining to get a crew. Loki, Xobit, and newcomer Glitch (Lily Vendrem on this site) are all played by themselves. Transformers is not ours.  


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After Sorral kicked her out to pack up their small amount of possessions, Loki found herself bored, wandering around randomly on her way to a few of their friends to say goodbye. It was while going down a random street that she saw a rather familiar neon orange femme, with tail and spikes showing that she was in fact, a dinobot… and new to the larger dino, who knew the few dinos in the area. "'Ello," Loki said, bowing her head respectfully. "'Ur a pretty color, an' new ta' this area?"

Glitch looked up in surprise, not having expected to be greeted by anyone, but quickly bobbed her head in a bowing gesture when she realized she was being addressed by another dinobot. "Hi," she replied as she looked over the larger dinobot, noting the mottled blue and black plating and large fin and wondered briefly why it looked so familiar. She covered up her staring by answering the other's question with a short shake of her head. "No, me not live here. Just visiting." She could swear she knew… "Loki?" she asked curiously, frills flaring briefly.

"Ya' know meh…?" Orange, the waist frill, the accent… "Glitch? Glitchy, that's ya'? Watcha doin' 'ere!?" Chuckling, Loki leaned down, resisting the urge to just scoop Glitch up and hug her. "If ya' visitin' some'ne, ya' can stay with us 'till we leave, Sorral's packin' now an' stuff."

The orange dinobot grinned, pleased to see her old friend. She didn't bother restraining her desire to hug the blue and black femme. She stepped forward before she had fully thought about it and flung her arms around the other's neck, being careful of the spikes that covered it. "Loki! It been really long time, not see you since dinobots leave Cybertron!" she cried as she nuzzled Loki. "Me be glad to stay with you and Sorral, thank you! And like me said, me just visiting, seeing how Cybertron doing. How you Loki been?"

Squeaking and then purring with joy, Loki wrapped her arms around the smaller dinobot, pulling Glitch up so that she could start walking again, tail wagging all the while. "No thanks needed, Glitchy, A'm jus' glad ya' willin' ta' stay with us!" She said, "A'm fine, gotta job throwin' people outa bars an' bein' security fo' others… gonna miss it later but meh… how YA' been?"

Glitch hummed lowly, happy to be back in the company of another dinobot. For all that she was pro-unity, she really didn't feel comfortable with regular Cybertronians, especially now that they had divided themselves into 'Autobot' and 'Decepticon' factions. She laughed at Loki's job's description. It sounded like something the older femme would be good at. "Me been good. Me thinking about getting job in transport, me hear it give lots of good opportunity to see new places, but otherwise everything pretty normal. Pack still crazy," she said, then pulled back a bit to look Loki in the optic and squealed excitedly, "But we got new pack member! You remember him Grounder? Him and mech from neighbor pack, Spire, created life bond last vorn!"

"Aww! Well, A'm happy fo' 'em… an' if ya' want… A' might be able ta' request a job fo' ya', A'm 'posed ta' go on a ship ta' explore an' stuff an' A' could ask if ya' could getta job o' somethin'…" Loki's tail wagged even more as she neared the area where she and Sorral lived. "'Re th' sparklin's still th' same an' all, o' did they grow up? They were so cute 'n adorable…"

"You going to explore? You tell me more?" Glitch asked, curious about this 'exploration ship' and what it was setting out to explore. "Me be very grateful if me find good job, but me have to send a message home to Grounder so him know me be away for a while if me get it." She petted the other's neck absently while she got her next train of thought in order. After a moment's contemplation, she said, "Them all grown up, but still cute and adorable." She paused and gave an amused chuckle. "Well, when them in recharge, anyway. Him Comb became chassis artesian about 2,000 vorns ago, and him doing very well for himself. Whenever him come home to pack for visit him act all snooty just so Grounder stomp around and demand him stop it right this instant!" Glitch said, lowering the octave of her vocalizer to sound like her creator for the last few words. She adjusted her vocalizer again and continued. "Bulwark and Boyo made brother bond shortly after that and now them have little businesses down in southern sector. Bulwark bodyguard for hire and like her job very much, and Boyo teaching little aquatic bitlets swimming maneuvers."

It was so strange to hear about the little ones grown up, and Loki instantly drooped, having missed them greatly… but then she couldn't help but coo at the jobs and how well it matched each of the bitlets personalities and functions to perfection. "It's fo' th' newest Prime, she'd be leadin' us ta' do… um somethin'… A' didn' pay much 'tention, but ya' know meh, A' normally don' pay no attention ta' that stuff… though A' know we'll be goin' ta' a bunch'a' different places an'… yeah, it'd be best ta' jus' ask Sorral later." The bigger dinobot gave Glitch a lick and shook her head. "Butcha gotta know… ya'd have to join th' autobots, at least pretend ta' o' whateva', since it's a war ship too, an' we'll be attacked… an' it'll be dangerous an' fun too!"

The orange femme clicked and petted her friend consolingly. She understood the feeling, she missed a lot of her friends from before the move, and often wondered how they were getting on. She had brought along a few recordings of her pack for when she got lonely, maybe Loki would like to see them later? She was about to mention them when Loki continued, the blue and black femme trying and failing to coherently explain what her new job entailed. It amused her to no end that Loki hadn't changed very much from the last time they'd been together. Then the rest of the statement caught up with her and she faltered. "Join Autobots?" she asked, hoping that she had heard wrong. She'd already had a bad run-in with a couple of Autobots and they hadn't appreciated her one bit, even went so far as to accuse the dinobots of abandoning them when they could have used their strength the most… "Me not sure that good idea, Loki… Even if me just pretending…"

That response had been expected, it was understandable of course too, and Loki paused before she tried to explain more. "A' know it don' seem very right an' A' know a lotta 'bots don' like us, but th' new Prime is real nice, A' even got inta' a bar fight with'er!" She paused again to figure out the other part of her explanation, shaking her head after a moment passed. "A'm secon' in c'mmand as well, Glitchy, A' dunno why they thought meh of all people coul' handle it but A' am, an' A' won' let notin' happen ta' ya'! Plus Sorral's comin', an' theres other dinos in other ships fo' us ta' know an' talk too if need be."

Glitch couldn't help but feel a little out of the loop. Just how many dinobots had joined the war? While she was at it, which side were they on, and why had they joined at all? She could admit to having been very young when the dinobots left Cybertron, and none too interested in politics, but Grounder had complained enough of the losses the dinobots would have sustained if they had joined the inevitable civil war for her to know that they were better off staying out of whatever the Cybertronians were getting themselves into. And although Loki said the new Prime was nice, and that Loki herself was the Second in Command for the crew, it didn't make it any easier to go against Grounder's unspoken rules and join a cause that she wasn't even sure she agreed with. But she had always been so very curious… "Me still not sure… You say others join? Who, and what side them on?" she asked, figuring she could cover the basics, at least. "What benefits Autobots have? And why you and her Sorral join?"

Even though Loki didn't know that many of the dinos who had joined, only their names, the dinobot answered that question first. "A couple named Twit an' Sluggard went 'con, an' a few others, Smelt, Nix, an' Binge, went 'bot." She entered the home she shared with her sister and noticed Sorral was gone, probably heading to a bar for a drink. "Sorral an' A' 're joinin' cause of th' adventure, A' guess, A' dunno 'actly… an' well, it's good pay? Get ta' go places, get ta' fight an' not get in trouble… Xobit coul' tell ya' all th' stuff A' guess, A' was playin' with mah tail while she talked 'bout it."

Glitch hummed as she took in the information. Binge sounded familiar, but only vaguely, and she couldn't place the others at all. She looked around as they entered what she assumed were Loki and Sorral's quarters, but Sorral wasn't anywhere in sight. "Adventure and good pay good reason to join, but me not want to get caught up in war. Me think about it though. Could be good opportunity," the orange femme conceded, not wanting to turn down something without at least getting a good idea of what it entailed first.

"Aye aye! Take ya' time on it, Glitchy, we ain't leavin' that soon an' it ain't somethin' ta' rush into." Loki poked her arm and thigh where the symbols of joining the Autobots and the 'dinobot' section of such where located. The officer symbol still itched at times… "If ya' don' join, ya' can have this place if ya' want, Sorral an' A' were thinkin' A' lettin' a few friends use it but… meh… ya'd come first." She sat her friend down on one of the tables and retrieved energon for the smaller femme, setting it down too so she could find a way to clear a space of all the junk that was strewn across the room.

Glitch mumbled in acknowledgement. She supposed that, if nothing else, she could MEET the Prime and see if it was worth her time. "That nice offer, but me not staying on Cybertron if me not find job soon. Only have so many credits before me can't return home, and me not want to be stuck here." She picked up the cube Loki set next to her and thanked her, taking a drink while she watched her friend growl and attempt to tidy the room a bit. She watched the other quietly, processor subconsciously finding the most efficient way to clean the mess that surrounded her, but she was too amused by her friend's antics to say anything. Maybe she'd clean it up later, after Loki had gone for recharge.

"Aye aye, Glitchy… but stay as long as ya' like, 'k?" Loki said, shrugging lightly before sitting on the counter space that was cleared. Most of the rooms were cleared, and Glitch would be able to stay in one of those while she cleaned up some more. "A' got high-grade too fo' later, if ya' want, an' it ain't th' weak stuff either, A' made this batch mah self."

The orange femme nodded in acceptance. At least this way she wouldn't be paying to stay at that dingy inn while she was still here. She perked up at the mention of high-grade, and that it was dinobot brewed… Well. She wasn't much of a drinker, really, but even she couldn't say no to that. Not often, anyway. She took another sip of her energon. "When me be able to meet Prime, you think?" she asked, swinging her pedes back and forth a little.

"A'll take ya' after this, if ya' want." Loki said, pointing to their cubes of energon before finishing hers off and clearing more of a space for when they returned. "An' we can have th' high grade when we get back, then we don' gotta go no where after it an' all." She snerked when she found a un-opened container from when she and her sister had first moved in, pushing it back to its hidden little corner without a second thought.

"That sound like good idea. Sooner me meet Prime, sooner me able to decide," Glitch concurred. "And high grade when we get back sound good. Sorral be home then, maybe?" She finished her own energon and hopped off the table top, carefully avoiding stepping on anything in case it was fragile.

With a small nod, the spinosaurus finished up the patch of area she was working on and then, smiling widely, reached down and picked Glitch up, tossing her over a shoulder while being careful of her own spikes. "Sorral will know we left, since A' cleaned up a bit an' all, an' A'll jus' comm. her later… unless ya' wanna wait." It didn't matter, whatever her fellow dinobot wanted was perfectly fine with Loki.

"Not matter either way. Me see Sorral eventually," the orange femme said, twiddling with the spikes in front of her. "Us go see Prime now." She hummed as she was carried back out of Loki's living quarters, tail swaying lazily as she watched them leave the building behind. It was like walking backward, except she wasn't tripping every few steps. With nothing else to talk about, she repeated her thoughts to Loki.

"Weird…" Watching the tail swinging in front of her face, Loki was distracted as she walked, listening and commenting back… before finally snapping out at the tail in front of her, catching it gently in her teeth with a giggle. And Primus did it make a strange picture painted for those who walked dodged past them. "Sowfy, Gliphy…" The spinosuarus said after a moment, dropping the orange tail and ducking her head sheepishly.

Glitch hummed in agreement. It was a weird thought to have, she knew, but she was used to having weird and totally unrelated thoughts all the time. She yelped in surprise when Loki's jaws clamped on her tail and laughed when she saw the faces of some of the other people on the road. "It okay," she said reassuringly, curling her tail around Loki's head in a sort-of hug, turning it a little so the spikes laid flat against the other dino's neck instead of poking into it. "So where we going?"

Petting the tail around her neck with one hand, Loki smiled, purring and petting her friend happily. "A'm gonna comm. 'er ta' come meet us so ya' can talk ta' 'er…" As she spoke the dinobot was already Xobit and requesting a meeting with a small explanation that gave as much as it could… though still not much.

"Okay," Glitch agreed. A thought occurred to her as they rounded a corner. "How me talk to Prime? Me talk normal? How me supposed to address her?" Oh yes, because NOW was the time to start getting nervous.

Talk normal?... oh. "Talk like ya' talk ta' meh o' a fellow dino', don' worry, she's a good'n, won' care 'bout it." Loki said, chuckling lightly as they reached the meeting spot she'd asked for. "Jus' call 'er Xobit o' Prime, don' worry 'bout that either though, it's no big deal."

Xobit scratched at her new command sigil, wondering if she would ever get used to it and the respect that came with it. She had had respect as a 2IC, but that had been earned, this… having other regard her as Primus' chosen was ridiculous and embarrassing. Xobit knew better than anyone that Primus had not spoken to any Cybertronian in eons! Sighing quietly, she settled deeper into the stool and tried to ignore the people looking at her with curious or awed optics. Loki had asked her to come and she was sure her new 2IC had a good reason for that… a little too sure in fact. More like absolutely sure, it was unpleasant to know when people lied, to feel it. Gift, curse, it all depends on how you look at it… indeed…

"Ya' ain't gonna get high an' destroy th' place 'gain, right?" Loki asked the Prime cheerfully, walking over to the seat Xobit was in and pulling up her own to sit. Noticing the stares, she looked around and glared, giving a satisfied smirk when the faces looked away, or at least tried to hide their stares. "Xobit, Glitch, Glitch, Xobit," the dinobot said, allowing Glitch to move from her perch when she so wanted to.

Glitch tumbled off of Loki and pulled up her own chair before waving slightly at the Prime. "Hi," she said. Now that she saw the Prime in person, she wasn't sure if any amount of prepping from Loki would have prepared her for this moment. What did one say to a Prime? And such a pretty one at that? The last Prime she'd ever seen hadn't been nearly so appealing to look at. But that was neither here nor there, so she settled for a normal greeting. "How you Prime doing?"

"Hello, Glitch... and I'm doing… well, I am alive." Not to mention that lying was impossible, even about something like this. Xobit huffed uncomfortably, it was the pit to try and have a normal non-committal conversation when you could not use any of the easy white lies everyone always told each other. "I am pleased to meet you, it has just been a li… a lot straining to be appointed Prime."

"She got blitzed with meh," Loki said bluntly, "she's strained ta' th' point 'o breakin', Glitchy… kinda scary when ya' think 'bout getting' high with a couple o' dinos…" She ordered a drink and relaxed, making sure her glares and tail movements kept the rest of the bar from watching. It wouldn't do to start a bar fight but… well, accidents happened!

Glitch cooed, pulling her legs up onto her chair so she was peering at Xobit from over her knees. "It nice to meet you Prime too," she said, hoping she looked earnest even with her visor down. She fidgeted for a moment before speaking. "Loki tell me Glitch you have jobs available if me Glitch join Autobots, but me not want say yes or no to joining Autobots until me see if you good leader and have good reason for me to join. Not want to get involved unless me sure it worth the risks." The femme could admit to feeling a little bad, but it really WASN'T her fight. She was willing to help out though, provided they stood for something she could believe in.

Right to the point, hum… Xobit relaxed at that, that was one very good reason to like the Dinobots, they were as blunt as a fist. Another was that they were loyal if you repaid them with trust. "Yes, there are still many unfilled positions on my ship, Glitch, so Loki told you the utter truth." The rest of the questions were rather impossible to answer with a clear explanation, but it was worth a try, and thinking about it enable her to ignore the glances sent their way. "I can't tell you I'm a good leader, Glitch. I don't yet know if I am one… I have been a good second in command for a long time, and the Matrix deemed me able to this title." Xobit tapped the infrared symbol of her rank. "Good reasons to fight are equally impossible for me to give… I fight for the freedom of choice, even if it means someone choosing the Decepticon side. I don't… I can't judge people for believing in something, and, no matter what others think, the Decepticons are still only people. I hope that my effort in this war will preserve the right to choose! So… all in all, Glitch, whether or not you fight is up to you and only you! I cannot make the decision for you, I won't give propaganda speeches and I am certainly not about to lie to make war seem safe and righteous…"

Nodding along with Xobit, the larger of the two dinobots moved and with a short teeth baring glare silenced those in the bar whispering about them. She'd had enough of the stares… so much so that she was about to snap if need be… "Don' worry 'bout it, Glitchy, take ya' time on choosin' 'k? An' everythin' Prime said is totally true, ya can trust 'er."

Xobit was honest, at least. And the orange femme knew she could trust Loki. Speaking of Loki… Glitch curled her tail around what she could reach of her fellow dinobot, hoping to soothe the other's agitated nerves until she'd made her decision. She mulled over everything the Prime had said silently, watching the other inhabitants of the bar. Prime hadn't said she would make a good leader, but the fact that she would let others make their own decisions, above everything else, made Glitch want to work with her. Not many, especially not any that the dinobot had seen, were willing to treat their employees like that. And Xobit didn't pretend to believe that the Decepitcons were equivalent to the slag one wiped off their pedes at the end of the day, so that was another point for her. "Me…" It wouldn't be the job she was HOPING to get here, but it wouldn't be bad, and she would be with other dinobots. Grounder would understand, even if he wasn't happy about it. "Me Glitch be Autobot, but not want to be on frontlines all the time," Glitch said firmly. "Want other job too."

To her vast embarrassment, Loki's tail started to wag on its own violation, rubbing the smaller femme slightly as she calmed and grew excited. It would be so much fun to have another dinobot around instead of just herself and Sorral… and Glitch was a good friend to boot! Bouncing in her seat despite the embarrassment, Loki ended up smiling wildly at the bar patrons… and wasn't too surprised when it scared them more then her glares as she started to purr.

"I would not expect you to 'only' be a fighter… first of all this crew are going to be doing a lot of scouting, infiltration, and sabotage missions where, frankly, a frontliner would do more damaged then actual work. Second, I am trying to gather people who have more than one education or occupation behind them… I believe in being versatile and prepared!" Xobit had no interest in gathering people who only lived for war… she was willing to take some, for various reasons, but there would come a time after war. She believed that firmly, and when that time came there should be people who still remembered peace, who still remembered things that had nothing to do with weapons and killing. "What work you do take will be the work you want and have the abilities for… if you want something that you have yet to learn, I can give you the opportunity to learn. Though mind, it will be a slow process in the middle of the war!"

Satisfied, Glitch nodded. She crossed her legs on the seat and leaned forward so she could put her elbows on the table and prop her chin in her hands. "Me Glitch good at organizing. Very good at keeping things neat. Maybe me Glitch help with stores?" she said, posing the last as a question, unsure if Xobit had someone to do that already. "Or maybe Loki have idea?" The orange dinobot looked to her friend, feeling a little guilty for having pretty much ignored her since they arrived.

Loki startled slightly as her name was said, looking down at Glitch with slight confusion. "Wha'? A' dunno? Sorry, Glitchy, but ya' askin' th' wrong person on that. A' dunno what positions 're filled an' what ones aren't yet, A' haven't even read any o' th' files o' notin'… A' suck at this job…" She looked away sheepishly, it was so much easier to just throw people out of clubs as a bouncer, being in charge of people… wasn't her thing.

"You have the abilities I need, Loki… what you need is a Personal Assistant. That aside, no, Glitch, we don't have a Quartermaster yet. If you want the job I will make it so..." No point in even trying to be 'coy' about it. Xobit smiled sincerely, if a bit strained, at the dinobot. This was all going faster then she could really cope with, or at least it felt that way… The Matrix had known! It had known everything about her and still it had done this. Most thought that the new chassis would be the hard part, they joked and congratulated. The hard part was accepting the forgiveness granted and complying with the 'order' to forgive herself.

"Yes, me think that job be good," the orange femme said with a nod. It would be a difficult job, Glitch knew, but it could be fun. It would be an experience, at any rate. "Where me Glitch supposed to go, and when me start?" she asked, figuring that she should get the basics down now since they were already there. "And how me go about becoming official Autobot?"

"Well…" Giving her fellow dinobot the location, Loki shrugged, "Ya' can go when A' do… no biggy, A'll take care o' it later." She shivered at Xobit's words too, shaking her head, especially not liking the thought of getting an assistant… and becoming official… that was one of the most boring things she'd ever been through. And that was what she told Glitch, tail stopping its wagging to curl around her body.

"It is done then…" Now Xobit just needed a CSO and some luck. A lot of luck, she had to make the crew fit together, those she had chosen and those that had been sent to her. Hopefully it would be easier then she thought… Xobit doubted it however, her ideas were radical and she knew that there would be those who would fight her wants. "I am happy to have you on bored, in a manner of speaking, Glitch! I hope you will find yourself happy with the decision to join my crew."

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And, as always, please leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

And this is just after the Allspark was launched. Shadow, Nightshade, and cameo by Xobit. Transformers is not ours, we make no money, hope you enjoy!  


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Something was not quite adding up on his new ship. Mostly, it was energon, vanishing faster than it quite ought to. And the few times Shadowsinger had climbed up to the air vents to visit the two who lived there, well, he had managed to get that yes, there was definitely someone moving about, but they tried not to pay attention, and so he didn't press them. He was on the ground now anyway, stalking the halls and looking for anything out of place... Slaggit, he was too new to the ship, he could barely tell who was whom!

Something about one of the doors caught his attention, but Pit if he could say what. Shadowsinger decided it didn't matter too much, opening it up and going in. It took a little bit of poking, but soon he came to a small space, boxes moved and arranged to make a comfortable little living space. The occupant was already there too, an orange and black mech with silver highlighting, a little over twice his own hight...

Moving through the hall swiftly so as to leave the open space as soon as possible, he pondered his own restlessness. Of course, he WAS on the run, but lately it had increased, uncomfortably so. The new CSO had been sneaking around again… Reaching his little hideout, he shuffled through the stuff serving him as a shelter. Rearranging his keepsakes, he tried to shake off his paranoia.

"Well what in the Pit do I do with you?" It took him an astrosecond to register the smooth voice.

"Meeep!" Wide optics locked onto the mech behind him as he turned swiftly. All his self-defensive mechanism were frozen by just how small he was, his programming rendering him helpless.

"Well... yeah, sure, meeping is an option..." Shadowsinger muttered, still staring up at the other mech and vaguely aware he wasn't making any sense. Currently, he was trying to come to terms with... "You're a stowaway? Why, in Primus' name, did you choose a military vessel to hide away on?" He was possibly taking this too well... trying to handle it on his own, before involving the higher-ups, well, but then, he was one of those higher-ups now, wasn't he? "What's your designation?"

His base functions were rapidly running out of his control. Would he have been less shock stricken, he would have blamed it on the stress. As it was he fought for coherency. Before he could stop it, his vocaliser acted on its own, "N-Nightshade…" As did his sensory array, doing a full long-range-diagnostic on the officer. He winced at his own boldness. A human would have cursed his instincts to the pit. Who was to blame for his dilemma was something he didn't even want to think about.

The tingle of a diagnostic caught him off-guard, and he flinched almost as badly as the larger mech. Okay, a mech stowaway who's first reaction was fear, that was normal, and a scan. That almost made sense, but the fact that his scan had gone so much deeper than required to check for weapons... "Well, does my status meet with your approval, Nightshade? Oh, an' I'm Shadowsinger." First step, relax him. Shadowsinger didn't feel he was in danger, so he could afford to take some time.

'Shaowsinger.' While his higher logic functions were still panicking, or trying to find a way to escape, Nightshade's lower layers of programming were happily creating and labeling a new folder, packing in the diagnostics. Ignoring mechanisms he couldn't control, as he had learned the hard way by fighting them, he tried to calm down. Denying would, obviously, get him nowhere, attacking was out of the question. That left him with nothing but – He deflated, tension leaving his frame, his shoulders sagging.

"Aww... relax, you're not in trouble," Shadowsinger soothed, leaving the 'yet' unvoiced. Yes, Nightshade should be in trouble, he had made unauthorized entry onto a military vessel, something he still hadn't given an explanation for... But he wasn't in trouble with Shadowsinger, and so the statement was true. "Was there anyplace in particular y'were looking t'get to? Or did you simply hop the first ship you saw?"

What the CSO indicated was too good to be true… So it likely wasn't. Yet, he had no choice but to comply and hope. Hope. What a cruel word... That didn't mean he had to tell the mech his life story, though. "I just wanted... Away…" Hopefully, the other would buy the war and general condition their planet was in as reason. Oh, they were, but not exclusively.

Shadowsinger frowned in sympathy. He DID understand wanting away, but... "Have you missed the point that this is a MILITARY vessel?" And later he would have to ask just how Nightshade had evaded security enough to REACH the Hyrde... actually, scratch that, it was only Steelspark's idea of security, and... the pale mech knew QUITE well how... insecure that really was. In a softer voice, he mused, "You are SO slagging lucky you got onto this ship..."

The pronunciation made him flinch again. Yes, he had known what kind of ship he had chosen. He had been very careful, to be exact. It was the only way to ensure that THEY wouldn't find him. Even after all the pains he had gone to to stay hidden, make them believe he had faced deactivation, there was no way to tell whether they would recognize him, if not for his designs then for the reactions that were burned into his hardware. The unfinished sentence fueled his hope. Lucky… Perhaps. Or perhaps the security officer liked to string him along.

"You don't talk much," the observation was idle as Shadowsinger sat. "So. Y'had a reason t'pick a military ship... Y'wear no faction marks... Y'know there's easier ways t'join th'bots, no? Safer too... or were y'just gonna ditch ship at the next habitable planet?" There was no accusation in his questions, merely neutral information, guesses. The mech nearly radiated tension, fear, and a thin line of painful hope, well hidden.

"I…" To be truthful, he hadn't been thinking that far. It had seemed like a wonder that he had found a suitable ship at all, leaving no time for contemplation on later actions, and since he had come on board the necessity of staying hidden had taken up his energy. The scrutinizing gaze of the now comfortably folded mech made him shiver. Chewing his lower derma plate, Nightshade tried to find an answer that would please him. It is always about pleasing others… A side thought, like a sound file, but the sting he used to feel when the mech whom the voice had belonged to said this had been lost long ago. Along with his friend's life. "I…"

"Really wanted t'get away," Shadowsinger finished Nightshade's answer. "You need to meet our Prime. She won't hurt you, and I don't even think she'll be too upset about you hiding away." He didn't really want to drag this poor mech in front of Prime... but he had to, for a large variety of reasons. "Either way, you'll get accommodations, and won't have to go stealing energon, or stay hidden if ya don't wanna."

It didn't sound too bad. He backed off a step when the smaller mech got up. Without looking back, Shadowsinger sought his way through the clutter, obviously expecting Nightshade to follow. After a moment's hesitation, he did. It felt strange to step into the corridor he had tried so hard to avoid before, without any precaution.

Nightshade was silent to the point of almost being creepy, and that, as far as Shadowsinger was concerned, took quite a bit of doing. "I'm sure you've noticed the color stripes. See, they lead ya where y'wanna go, following the one on your right. They're each the same color as where they lead, though mine's gonna change colors soon as I figure what I want. Rec room's slate, y'already know, Medbay's silver, we're following the indigo right now." He was... trying to fill the silence? When had that happened, silence used to be his closest companion...

Optics locked onto his own pedes, Nightshade followed the smaller mech, not really listening to the words, though a part of him noticed the tone, bordering on nervousness, which sent a surge of worry through him as well as another scan out. If he kept this rate up he was going to clog his data stores with that folder soon… Nothing new in that. Thankfully he was built to be able to hold massive amounts of the stuff.

"Okay, seriously, y'don't need t'scan me. I know the marks I got, I know my shoulder's readings are odd, and Wish' has done everything he could for me already," everything he'd been allowed. Shadowsinger found the attention.. unnerving, there was no sense to it, no reason to it that he could see... "Or at least... tell meh' why yer doin' it?" Maya blue optics were locked on the indigo color strip, new ship, too easy to get lost, thank Primus for Xobit's willingness to buck tradition, thank Longshot for suggesting it.

He was fixed on the stripes with the determination of a bot close to drowning. At least it seemed to Nightshade that he was. He knew he was what others considered overly sensitive to quirks in behavior. He was watching the CSO's every move now. Yes, his shoulder was indeed off… His scanners reached deeper on their own accord. Realizing he was being asked something, he reacted absentmindedly, "Hmm?"

Shadowsinger was fidgeting now, but that didn't come off as unusual to him. Younglings weren't prone to enjoy scans after all… His concentration on the shoulder, Nightshade filed away the readings he got for later. A slight darkened patch on the cannon seemed to be a dent, nothing dangerous. Then a darker echo caught his attention: spark casing. He stopped, grabbing the other's shoulder with one hand, putting the other on his chest plating for further examination. Shadowsinger went rigid.

The pale mech went deadly still as the tingle of the scan slipped passed his shoulder down to... oh, FRAG. The mech had quite easily... not trapped him, it wasn't a trap... it was far too sloppy for a trap. "Quit scanning," Shadowsinger said, far quieter than he wanted. Unsurprisingly, Nightshade didn't listen, or maybe didn't hear, and Wishmaster had been easy enough to deter, 'I got caught', easy excuse and the Autobot medic knew what was meant... or implied, but Nightshade was an unknown... "Nightshade, release me." In a moment, he'd release himself, even if it would scare the mech worse...

Nightshade's trance was broken by the slightest tremor in the suddenly quiet voice. He restarted his optics in a blink. Cycling a deep intake he got hold of his loose programming and pushed it back where it belonged. The CSO's every servo was tense, it didn't take a mech as empathic as he WAS to realize how deeply the gesture had affected him. "Sorry," he murmured and backed off.

He did not turn to look at Nightshade, cycling his vents and reaching again for his control. "I am aware of that scar as well." There. It was acknowledged, and now hopefully it could be forgotten. With a mental shake, Shadowsinger returned to the comfortable, comforting, friendly little Autobot he seemed to be. "C'mon, let's take ya t'Prime." He no longer asked WHY Nightshade scanned like that... he was afraid that asking would restart the scanning.

Dimmed optics never leaving the pale frame, Nightshade seemingly ignored the change of behavior. Not that he would have even if he had been able to. Yep, this was definitely going to be one storemuncher of a folder. A part of himself shook its head and pointed out that he was doing IT. AGAIN. He was overlooking possible dangers for himself in favor of others, someone he didn't even know, couldn't even tell whether he was a friend or a foe. Someone who could be very likely leading him into the figurative lion's den. The small part of his processor went unheard and sulked in the background of his mind.

A chime alerted Xobit to her guests. It also meant it wasn't Loki, and she faintly wondered what could be happening so early after them leaving Cybertron. Normally she was left alone until Loki decided she needed to be reminded of regular refueling. "Come in, the door is open ya know." There was a faint trace of humor in the words, it seemed she needed to train the new people in relaxing their guard a little.

"Ah, no... I'm still getting' used t'that..." Shadowsinger answered as he entered. "Ah, right, so... y'know how I've been complaining 'bout the energon? And... well... Anyway, we've, ah... picked up a passenger." He motioned at the orange and black mech, "This is Nightshade, he was apparently in a great hurry to leave Cybertron. And has so far shown a perchance for doing diagnostic scans..."

Still focused on the smaller mech, Nightshade almost missed that there was a new person he was supposed to greet. Slightly misted crystal blue optics skimmed up in autoreaction, taking in her frame. And scanning. Damn his programming.

Scan… Lifting an optic ridge at the stowaway, Xobit focused back on Shadowsinger for long enough to answer him. "I see…" Turning back to… Nightshade, she tilted her head in mild inquiry. "A war ship is hardly a great place for a neutral to be on, and I fear we cannot go back to Cybertron for some time… Nor will we pass any suitable planets for a long time. Nightshade… why are you on my ship?"

This was now between the stowaway and the Prime, and Shadowsinger quietly slipped to one side, leaving them to it. Privately, he wished her good luck on getting Nightshade to speak... Let alone getting any actual answers from him.

Nightshade cocked his head and looked up at the Prime, taking in every sensor reading and tremble of servos. His voice was carefully modulated when he finally spoke, a slight smile edging on his derma plates. "A warship? I have seen more peace here than I have in vorns."

Taken aback by the truth in Nightshade's words, Xobit hesitated in answering, instead taking a good long look at the other. He was larger than Shadowsinger, but still small, his coloring interesting and lively… he was not a warrior and yet… "You are not referring to the war are you? This is different. What are you hiding from?"

Unsurprisingly, Xobit succeeded. Maybe because she was managing to not get disconcerted by Nightshade's steady regard... Primus, he'd never seen a mech so given to watching, watching as though they actually cared... Shadowsinger brushed his hand against his chest where Nightshade had touched him, and wondered.

His optics had dimmed when she had pried forward data files which Nightshade had suppressed for vorns. His faceplates clenched in pain as he relived those moments of terror, the pain… Breaking optic contact he let his walls give way to the flood. It was over as fast as it had come. "No. Not the war." His voice was rough.

"I realize that you do not want to talk of it but I will need information. Shadowsinger will have to do a background check on you, as much as can be done off Cybertron." So much pain, even if only visible for a few clicks. Xobit didn't want force Nightshade to relive what hurt him, but she could not ignore the fact that he wasn't a part of her crew, no matter how much her spark clenched in sympathy.

"I…" He faltered. Then he looked at her again, optics solemn, as if scanning again, but this time without using his sensors. Then he set his back straighter. Optics spacing out, he sounded devoid of emotion for the first time. "Designation: Nighshade. Owner: Senator Ratbat. Purpose: Caretaker."

The sound Shadowsinger made wasn't easily classifiable. Something between a squeak and a whimper, as he slowly backed away. Ratbat... caretaker... Caretaker... "When?" he mewled, reaching the wall and stopping. "When? When!? When were you onlined, when did you leave him, when?" He was making a scene, worrying Xobit, worrying the scared newbie... "When?"

The panicking mech had his immediate attention, everything but the need to comfort him slipping from his processor, yet leaving him unsure what to say. Complying to the other's wish, he gave him the information he craved.

"Owner?" That was about all that Xobit managed to get out before Shadowsinger started talking, well, panicking really. She had noticed before that he reacted to the mention of the senator, though it had only happened a few times, when their conversations revolved around the war and what started it. This was getting mightily complicated! "Sit down, both of you! If we or ya two are going to talk it is better to do it in a civilized manner." Cutting through the talk of the mechs, Xobit gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.

Before him. This mech had left... vorns before he was sparked. Cycling his vents and forcing himself to, at least act, calm, Shadowsinger moved to one of the chairs Xobit indicated. "I... overreacted. I'm... fine, I will be." Stupid, why had he reacted, he used to be able... able to hide his feelings better. Just when had that changed?

He had calmed down, but that was only a forced reaction. Following the command, Nightshade's processor was only half on what the Prime was saying, with the effect that he missed the part where he should have answered. When he finally noticed he cringed. She didn't look too happy.

"I am not sure what is going on, but I do know of Senator Ratbat… I think that you, Shadowsinger, have something to tell me and you, Nightshade… sit down and explain the 'owner' part." Xobit knew very well that the senator had been a key component in the start of this second war, that thought was what put a scowl on her faceplate. Well, that and the reference to being 'owned', slavery had never been practiced on Cybertron as far as she knew… after all, the Quentessa invasion had been all about slavery. For her it had been history, now it was barely remembered legends, but could it really have been forgotten so much that some had sought to own what should be free?

Shadowsinger... simply 'ignored' Xobit's half question. After all, he couldn't tell while Nightshade was explaining, and she HAD flat ordered the taller mech to explain. Caretaker... That might explain the scanning, but why... Nightshade was reacting to HIM, not to Xobit, was it simply size that created that difference? Surely the orange and black mech couldn't know WHO... So it had to just be... a coincidence. Because he was... small. Shadowsinger wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

His optics dropped to the hands clenching in his lap. "In the doing what he tells me kind of way. 'S there another?" Nightshade blinked. Had that just been an interference in senor output? They were- Flickering. His processor felt weird. Wait just a click, was that-? Oh no. His vision frizzed again.

White hands, beautiful and slim. They were waving. "Come on 'Shade, move it! We ain't got all day!" Contrary to her statement her voice was filled with laughter. "I'm at it, 'Triv!" He got up from the floor he had been crouching upon and stretched. That had been a mess to clean up… Shaking his head clear, he got out. Time to take a walk with the younglings. 'Younglings.'He snickered. Well, the little creatures were pretty important to their owner, so maybe one could label them as such.

They were hopping across the place happily. Watching the turbo foxes with a smile, he was standing next to Dawnstriver, who was humming contently. It was not as fulfilling as watching sparklings had been, but the upside of the arrangement was that you got to watch the foxes for their whole life. A sound made him look up. At the edge of the building stood a mech he didn't know. Frowning, he moved between the turbo foxes and the newcomer. "State your-" A 'bang' and 'Triv's startled gasp and his head turned swiftly. Where the animals had been was nothing but a large crater. Next to it stood another raged looking mech. He was laughing silently. And Nightshade's world went blank.

He onlined again, disoriented. His whole body felt heavy. He sat up, recording the strange way in his joints stretched as he did so. All that was forgotten when his optics fell on Dawnstriver. She was standing, staring at her hands. They were no longer white. Before he could contemplate what had happened she started shaking. Jumping up to catch her he nearly fell when he slipped in a puddle of- Something. Holding her close to him, he turned off his optics. In his arms, the femme frame trembled violently. He held her tighter, employing every scanning device he held, but he came up blank. Nothing physical was wrong with her. All he could do was hold her until it was over. When she finally stilled, she became completely limp. It took him forever to gain the courage to look at her, confirming what his sensors had already told him. Her empty optics reflected the sky. His gaze fell upon the substance on her hands. It looked strangely familiar, yet he couldn't tell what it was. Swinging a little higher his optics wandered over what he had missed before. Bodies. Mangled to being nearly unrecognizable as the Cybertronians they had been, the four- Was it four?- were completely still. Slowly, realization dawned. His processor felt light. Servos started to tremble. Dented plating cut into his sensitive hands. Looking down, he watched his own energon drip down her arm and mingle with the stains. Hands. They weren't white, or slim. Or covered in-

He ended the thought violently. 'Not think about it, don't, you know what happens when you do, just…' What had he been doing? 'Talk, just talk, you're in too deep anyway, they know all they need to do a check and find out…' Forcing himself to look at the femme opposite of him, Nightshade pushed unwanted data back to the depths of his processor where it had come from. "It was okay. All I was ever meant for, you know, looking after, caring for. They made sure we were perfect for that." Something akin to shame washed over his spark. Not for his purpose, never for that, but- "I know I'm not like other people. Not a real- Person." Even after giving his secret up mentally, it was still hard to say it. Quietly, breaking optics contact again, "I know I was an experiment." Somehow, it was easy to continue. "I went to a medic 'bout it once, but all he told me was that my meta was the weirdest thing he had ever seen." He had to laugh at that. "As if I hadn't known that one. One isn't supposed to have overactive subprograms, or glitch from caring to violent in a click, with amnesia afterwards." This confession made him shiver. He had never wanted to hurt anyone, never meant to- In the end, he had had no say in that matter. "They weren't happy 'bout that particular lapse, not at all. Even if it wasn't our fault and most didn't survive it." All he could do now was to wait for their sentence. He didn't expect mercy, he wouldn't have been on the run for so long if he had, but it felt good to take a break, to stop.

Experiments… Xobit should perhaps have been more shocked, should have tried to deny that one mech could do such things to another. But frankly she knew better, not to mention that she could not deny the truth. There was something so resigned over the way the mech spoke, as if he knew that his time had come, as if he expected them to kill him out right for a past he had no fault in. "First of all, Wishmaster will take a look at you… then we will see what happens. If you still wish to leave the ship when we reach a suitable planet so be it. Until then, Shadowsinger will show you to some guest quarters!"

The words... for all he was listening, truly curious, the words only made minimal sense to him. All he was meant for, not a person... Shadowsinger's vents whirred angrily as Nightshade made THAT particular claim. That would have to be addressed, and soon... but Prime was already doing that, in her own way. With a smile, and a nod at Prime, Shadowsinger left the chair he had so lately taken. "C'mon, then, let's take ya t'Wish. See? I told ya you weren't in trouble."

He ducked when she started speaking, but what she said… Glancing up at her uncertainly, Nightshade tried to process what he had never expected. Only once had another been so forthcoming, so accepting. And Shadowsinger was backing her up. They really seemed to mean it. "I'll… think about it." Staying? But then again, he had never been comfortable alone. It had grown harder and harder to focus properly since he had lost his companion. He smiled gently. More like Groovetwist had lost him, just like he had picked him up that one night. He had always joked about his sentimental nature. Nightshade could almost hear his cheeky comments, that would be accompanied by a grin, sharp as a blade. How different these bots were… Still, he felt more reassured and stable than he had in a while, his trust in Xobit seemed to be put in the right femme. Maybe he would stay.

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